OHS National Convention, Portland, Oregon

Some 250 lovers of pipe organs and pipe organ music gathered in Michigan in early August for the 40th Annual National OHS Convention. They came from across the entire United States, Canada, and such faraway places as Finland and Australia. The elegantly comfortable Campus Inn in the heart of the University of Michigan served as headquarters for a busy week of recitals on 37 old and new organs, four lectures, a carillon recital, and the customary camaraderie and fun that always accompany OHS events.

Sunday

The events of the opening day took place only a short walk from our beautiful headquarters. It has become a tradition to include one vintage theater organ in the lineup of each OHS convention, if possible. Kicking things off this year was an enjoyable program by Scott Smith on the brash and sassy 1927 Grand Barton Theater Organ, located in the restored opulence of the Michigan Theater. To those expecting the sumptuous, booming warmth of a Wurlitzer of the same period, this keen, edgy instrument without booming bass was a surprise. Nonetheless, it is a fascinating and versatile organ, full of intriguing effects. Beginning with The Victors, "the most well-known song associated with the University of Michigan," according to the program notes, and ending ever so cleverly with the encore Another Opening, Another Show from Kiss Me, Kate, Mr. Smith's leisurely program and relaxed style nicely demonstrated the numerous resources of the restored instrument.

The fine carpenter Gothic-style interior and sympathetic acoustics of the First Congregational Church several blocks away provide an agreeable setting for a 1985 three-manual Karl Wilhelm organ, one of two Wilhelm organs featured during the week. Recitalist Larry Visser played a program of works by Bach, de Grigny, Pepping, and his own compositions with ample facility and energy. His own Four Chorale Preludes on "Lobe den Herren," imitating specific well-known organ chorales of Bach, was a hit with the audience and served to demonstrate this mild and pleasant eclectic tracker instrument. OHS conventions are noted for the exceptionally robust, bass-dominated congregational singing of a hymn with every organ. It was unexpected that the light tonal palette of this large, perfectly placed but polite instrument was all but obscured by the forceful rendering of "All Creatures of Our God and King." Having released this initial burst of pent-up energy, the group later evidenced some degree of sensitivity to just how each organ and player "invited" them to sing.

Following the short stroll back to the Campus Inn, the group enjoyed air conditioned relief from the heat and humidity while listening to a fascinating lecture by Professor James O. Wilkes. A colorful Renaissance man, Wilkes is a professor of chemical engineering at the University, an organist and Associate of the Trinity College of Music in London, and the author of the notable book Pipe Organs of Ann Arbor. In much too short a time, he regaled us by zipping through a wide variety of information on pipe construction and sound production, including along the way several imaginative visual demonstrations of the movement of the air in pipes. Utilizing pipe, cardboard, and candle, Professor Wilkes showed us that air does not come out of the top of an open pipe and that initial speech involves air being sucked into the mouth momentarily, before being blown out.

The First United Methodist Church directly across the street from the tall, glass-fronted lobby of the Campus Inn was the site of our next recital, where we found a large 1958 Reuter organ which incorporates ranks of pipes and other parts from the church's 1940 Kimball. Mary McCall Stubbins, organist of the church for 53 years (!), put this congenial instrument through its paces with a program of Couperin and Bach transcriptions and original organ pieces by Sowerby, Titcomb, Doane-Whitworth, and the comic Pantomime by Harry Benjamin Jepson. For the hymn Ms. McCall Stubbins selected words by T. Herbert O'Driscoll, set in 1971 to the great old marching tune Ebenezer (Ton-y-Botel). It was a curious occurrence indeed when this assembly of highly "traditional" church music enthusiasts and practitioners blithely belted out, "Let my people seek their freedom in the wilderness awhile, from the aging shrines and structures, from the cloister and the aisle." Would this not include seeking "freedom" from traditional churches and their pipe organs? Good heavens!

After dinner we purposely sought no freedom from the evening recital, gathering resolutely in the pews, not the aisle, of the First Baptist Church for what turned out to be an electrifying performance by the "aging shrine's" organist Janice Beck. At the outset we experienced a slight mishap with the hymn: Ms. Beck was only one of several performers during the week whose version of the hymn did not match the one printed in the conventioneers' "Hymnlets." (Future convention committees, please take note.) Nevertheless, this gifted and experienced artist continued unfazed and opened her recital program with a secure and compelling performance of the Bach E-flat major Fugue. For this reviewer the most riveting and memorable moments came in Night Song and Ostinato Dances by Pamela Decker, a long and involved work ending in a frenzied Stravinskyesque dance demanding the utmost in energy, precision, and virtuosity, qualities Ms. Beck possesses in abundance. Three of Rayner Brown's airy Papillons, depicting specific butterflies, contrasted nicely with the Decker, as well as with William Bolcom's sweet Just As I Am and the closing three works by Vierne. Ms. Beck is to be congratulated on programming one of the more interesting and appealing of the convention's 37 recitals. The organ for this recital is a large 1966 Robert Noehren instrument with precisely 26 ranks of mixtures and a bass "foundation" consisting of one light 16' Subbass. Yet it still makes sense and works well in many contexts.

Monday

At the annual business meeting of the Society, Executive Director Bill Van Pelt announced that the Allen Company had recently given all the historical records of the M. P. Moeller Organ Company to the OHS for its American Organ Archives. This enormous acquisition contains information about one-tenth of all the organs built in the Western Hemisphere! An appeal was made for special funds to help deal with storing these materials properly and safely. Convention Coordinator Alan Laufman called our attention to the 1996 Convention in Philadelphia and the 1997 Convention in Portland, Oregon, and then announced the 1998 Convention in Denver.

Following the meeting, organ historian Michael Friesen began turning our thoughts to the past with his admirably articulate lecture on Michigan organbuilders of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Utilizing a good variety of slides, he covered much ground in the short time allowed and displayed his diligent research on the subject.

Then we boarded our fleet of four comfortable, modern coaches for the hour-long trip into Detroit and the first of what OHS conventions are principally about: recitals on antique instruments. At our first stop, the Martyrs of Uganda Roman Catholic Church (formerly St. Agnes), Susan T. Goodson played a solid program of standard repertoire by Zipoli, Franck, Vierne, and Mendelssohn on the intelligible and civilized Casavant of 1924. The large, handsome, Gothic-style building, with its magnificent, jewel-toned windows and generous acoustics, proved to be only one of many such churches we would see in Detroit: what a delightful surprise for those of us from more "mundane church" areas of the country! And it was good to see the areas around this and other churches coming back to better health following the riots of 1968 and the subsequent decline. These grand and venerable architectural treasures are being preserved, in some instances are being gorgeously restored, and especially are being used. The lunch prepared by our hosts at the church, featuring "African-Detroit" cuisine, was a veritable banquet, resoundingly applauded.

Not far away we entered Sweetest Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church with gasps of awe. This splendid building, with its rows of grandiose marble columns marching into the horizon while supporting an ever-blue "heaven" above, is breathtaking. The first order of business was the first of the week's presentations of Historic Organ Plaques. The OHS presents these plaques in recognition of an organ's exceptional historic merit. The plaque is intended to be held by the organ's owner in trust for the OHS as long as the owner preserves the organ in a manner compatible with the guidelines of the Society. Through the years this program has encouraged the proper preservation of hundreds of worthy historic organs. In Sweetest Heart of Mary Church the instrument is an 1894 Clough & Warren which has the distinction of being the second organ (indeed, the first extant organ) to employ Mr. John T. Austin's invention, the Austin Universal Wind Chest System. Recitalist Kathleen Scheide presented careful, sensitive readings of less familiar repertoire by Liszt, Sowerby, and Paine, and included her own Partita on "Old Hundredth." The forceful instrument, with its "big room of air" under the pipes, served these pieces well.

Following a brief ride over to St. John-St. Luke Evangelical Church, the group came upon yet another fantastic sight: an "illuminated light-bulb church." The fanciful carpenter Gothic-style interior of 1874, together with the front-and-center G. F. Votteler organ of the same date, was wired for electricity "in a state-of-the-art fashion" in 1916 under the direction of a parishioner who was an executive with Detroit Edison. Hundreds of light bulbs outline balconies, arches, pulpit, and even the pipe flats and pinnacles on the elaborate Gothic-style organ facade. This carnival atmosphere was heightened by the momentary dimming of the whole shebang every so often, as well as by one bulb on the organ facade that kept blinking in apparent response to vibrations within the case! The instrument has a surprising steely and thin sound for the period, but organist Stephen Schnurr, a last minute substitute for another recitalist, made us forget this fact with his amazing prowess: within two weeks' time he learned the previously scheduled organist's entire program, including Dudley Buck's formidable Concert Variations on "The Star-Spangled Banner." None of these pieces had he ever played before, yet he learned and performed them for us with aplomb. This feat did not go unrecognized by the appreciative crowd.

From this "enlightened," yet cold sounding instrument, we were taken to what was one of the more lovely, cohesive organs of the week: the 1867 Andreas Moeller (no relation to M. P. Moeller) in Most Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church, another beautifully restored Gothic-style edifice with kindly acoustics. The organ has undergone much rearrangement and restoration throughout its history and is undeniably lovely in its present form. Recitalist Dudley Oakes began his engaging program with a charming duet (with organist and conductor Joanne Vollendorf) by the obscure 19th-century composer Josef Labor. Following the premiere of the gentle Reflections by our Australian/ Canadian/Floridian OHS colleague Gordon Atkinson, who shared the week with us and performed for us on our Saturday tour, Ms. Vollendorf conducted a quite competent string quartet for a performance of Handel's Organ Concerto, Op. 4, No. 4. Mr. Oakes found suitable and delightful sounds to balance the four strings for a festive, uplifting conclusion.

From here we bused to Ste. Anne's Roman Catholic Church for dinner and our evening recital. Just when we thought we could not possibly see another church larger and more breathtaking, we entered into this huge, "High Victorian Gothic" nave, dazzlingly decorated with much gold gilt, the enormous stained glass windows splashing their late afternoon rainbows over myriads of white and gold pinnacles and carvings. After dinner, organist Barry Turley presented the 25-stop 1887 Granville Wood & Son/1940 Casavant rebuild organ, an instrument of coolly aristocratic, even suave nature, in a varied program of Bach, Pinkham, the lovely Dubois Offertoire, Stanley Weiner, and Reger. Turley's secure, expressive, well-paced playing, together with the dignified instrument speaking optimally into such wonderfully reverberant acoustics from the rear gallery, combined to create a most moving performance of Reger's profound Fantasie on "Wachet auf." The traditional afterglow in the Campus Inn back in Ann Arbor gave the energetic a convivial time to chat about the wondrous sights and sounds of the day, as well as to browse through the astonishing selection of CDs for sale from the OHS shop.

Tuesday

Westward, ho! Our coach convoy through this green and pleasant land soon arrived in attractive Battle Creek, where the group headed for the Art Moderne W. K. Kellogg Auditorium with thoughts of breakfast cereal uppermost on many minds. However, after another Historic Organ Plaque presentation, organist Larry Schou very soon got our attention with his program on Ernest M. Skinner's 1933 "last showcase instrument built at Aeolian-Skinner." Unfortunately Mr. Schou chose to play a straight program very straight, using basic prescription registrations for various French and American 19th-century romantic pieces, rather than using the huge and wonderful organ in its intended, highly colorful orchestral manner to present appropriate repertoire. It was only in Edwin H. Lemare's transcriptions of two popular songs, albeit rather mundane works in Lemare's enormous output, that the true magic of the organ began to shine through. The unique performance practice associated with the fantastic orchestral organs of 60-75 years ago has been largely ignored and forgotten in most organ teaching departments. It takes the likes of such modern orchestral organ poets as Tom Murray, Fred Hohman, Lorenz Maycher, or Tom Hazelton to remind us of what we're missing. Generally, knowledge of and appreciation for such organs and the enchanting style of performance that they facilitate are now waxing, which is good news. But it is a style still very rarely taught and mastered. This style requires of the player an imagination at once soaring and tasteful. It also demands courage to deviate from historic registration prescriptions and well-known rules. These are not classic instruments, and they rebel at being treated as such, keeping their unique magic a secret to be unlocked only by those whose vision encompasses that uncommon territory.

Next we headed out to the town of Hastings for a visit with the 1867 J. H. & C. S. Odell in Emmanuel Episcopal Church. The instrument, once located in and voiced for another church where it stood nobly free in a rear gallery, is now severely impacted in a chancel chamber behind a heavy, three-foot-thick arch; consequently it sounds imprisoned and remote. This aural effect works strongly against the listener's involvement in all but the dreamiest of music. Here it served to detach many of us from William Lee Elliott's apparently stylish performance of Bach's Partita on "O Gott, du frommer Gott" and Dubois' Toccata. What to do with such an installation? Aside from soft nocturnes and meditations, chamber music collaborations with other instrumentalists or singers could have been a path to success.

Lovely Ionia was the site for the next three recitals. The spacious, resonant Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church is a perfect home for the mellow yet clear and balanced Lyon & Healy organ of 1900. This little organ makes a big sound, and it served Marijim Thoene's program based on medieval chant extremely well. It was enthralling to hear the chants sung by a good ensemble of women's voices before the Codex Faenza and Tournemire organ selections. After these and the beautiful Prélude au Kyrie from Hommage à Frescobaldi by Langlais, it came as a jolt that our hymn was Dan Schutte's ever so pop and ubiquitous "You Are Near" before Ms. Thoene continued the recital with eloquent works by Petr Eben and Persichetti--sort of a Tootsie Roll between the Duck à l'Orange and the Baked Alaska!

Moving to the First Christian Church, surely our most colorful venue thus far with its yellow and green windows, teal carpet, red choir loft curtain and upholstery, white-gold-back facade pipes, and a very blue ceiling over all, we heard the chipper playing of Dennis Janzer. Here the hearty 1893 J. W. Steere & Sons organ, generous in scale and full-bodied in tone, is most successful in the dead acoustic. Although this Steere seemed to buck the player a bit in some of the quicker movements, the premiere of Janzer's Suite No. 1: Celebrations and Reflections for Organ (Op. 9) was quite impressive. The last two movements: Exultant Dance--"Heaven be Praised!" and Soliloquy are standouts.

At the First Baptist Church we encountered one of the more elegant and patrician of the convention's organs--Hook & Hastings Op. 1538 of 1892. Hearing this little instrument reminded us of the preeminence of this great Boston organbuilding company. Matching the organ in style was young Justin Berg, a sophomore at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids where he studies with William Elliot. Mr. Berg played a varied program of eight short and appropriate pieces beautifully, including Thomas P. Ryder's amusing The Thunder Storm amongst works by Zeuner, Bach, Bristow, Brahms, Zundel, Ritter, and Thayer. Hearing such budding talent demonstrate so very well such a fine old organ was one of the more encouraging events of this, or any, convention.

For the evening recital we traveled to University Lutheran Church in East Lansing, where organbuilder and convention chairperson Dana Hull has installed a most successful version of an S. S. Hamill organ of 1866. Greatly rebuilt and enlarged, it still tonally evokes its heritage. And it looks spectacular! Here we were treated to the finished, international concert-quality playing of Deborah L. Friauff. Using largely standard repertoire, she wove appropriate musical magic in works by Pachelbel, Franck, Mendelssohn, Alain, and Bach, displaying her ample virtuosity and mature control of rhythm, phrasing, and musical style. Her performance of Jiri Ropek's Variations on "Victimae Paschali Laudes" was a highlight of the convention, as was her gripping Bach G minor Fantasy and Fugue. This last was only slightly marred by a dominant-note cipher during the last 10 or so measures--a most lucky note indeed, if it had to happen, for the final measures of a long and great work and performance!

Wednesday

This was our North/Northeast day. After riding through the idyllic countryside north of Ann Arbor, we came to Lapeer, where we were warmly welcomed to the Church of the Immaculate Conception and heard local public school and church Music Man Joseph Dobos demonstrate the 1905 Hinners organ. This little ten-stop instrument, with its truly liquid, lovely flutes, its crisp, bold principals, and its smooth string (no reeds) is a paradigm of successful organ design for a small village church at the turn of the century (and still today). Mr. Dobos' energetic playing was quite convincing in Ballet des Matelotz by Praetorius and later in collaboration with the very gifted student trumpeter Brock Blazo.

After more rural touring, we found in the Cass City Presbyterian Church a gentle, silvery, absolutely elegant little one manual and pedal organ assumed to have been made by Henry Erben in 1865. Fortunately for us the greatly talented organist and pianist Thomas Brown was selected to play this gem, and he provided us with a memorized recital containing some of the more masterful playing of the convention. His Haydn clock pieces and his Arne Introduction and Fugue from the First Concerto reflected the 18th-century lineage of this organ exactly, while delighting us with his profuse musical inventiveness and brilliant technical acrobatics.

Another gem of a later and different sort charmed us in St. John's Episcopal Church in Sandusky. For those familiar with the work of M. P. Moeller only during the last 40 years or so, this little 1898 M. P. Moeller tracker of 4 manual stops and one pedal stop was a surprise. The instrument is at once hefty and gentle: it fills the room with clear, warm, supportive, embracing sound that never tires the ear. Throughout the diverse, engaging program by organist Anita Hanawalt and flutist Karen Cahill, parishioner and "organ curator" Alex Paladi calmly and silently watched the wind indicator on the side of the  case and gently raised the bellows as needed, providing ample, living wind. Thanks again go to Dana Hull for the loving and lovely restoration.

Following a long trip to Marine City and dinner at Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church, we gathered with great expectation in the church to hear the evening recital on the opulent and grandiose 1861 E. & G. G. Hook Op. 300, as devotedly and carefully renovated and enlarged by George Bozeman in 1976. Organist Timothy Huth, having not the best of nights, succeeded in showing off the exceptionally transparent yet cohesive plenum for counterpoint in Bach's B minor Prelude and Fugue. The gorgeous, unsurpassed Hook flutes, the august, classic rosiny diapasons, the exquisite, piquant Oboe, the full-bodied yet radiant chorus reeds, and the awesome Pedal Open Diapason 16' that imparts incomparable grandeur to the whole, did not fail to thrill those who have come to love the work of the Hook brothers. What we all suspected is unquestionably true: the Marine City Hook is a great organ.

Thursday

As a welcome relief from bus travel, James Hammann opened Thursday with an incisive and entertaining lecture on the "Development of the Orchestral Organ." Terming the orchestral organ "a homophonic cul-de-sac on a long polyphonic highway," Dr. Hammann set his listeners straight on the nature and importance of this much misunderstood and maligned type of organ. This heightened our anticipation for hearing another E. M. Skinner masterpiece on Friday at the Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church in Detroit, where Dr. Hammann was once the organist.

In the vicinity of Ann Arbor we soon arrived in the village of Dexter to hear Mary Ann Crugher Balduf perform on the truly exquisite little 1857 Henry Erben at St. James' Episcopal Church. This multi-talented lady matched the elegant nature of the organ with a well chosen and arranged program of miniatures impeccably suited to the instrument and lovingly and expertly dispatched. Then with a gentle word and the clever ploy of asking the treble voices to lead off, she also succeeded in getting these normally overly-energetic hymn singers to tone themselves down to match the dulcet tones of this five-stop instrument: consequently the tiny instrument and gifted player could guide and support us wonderfully throughout "Watchman, Tell Us of the Night" sung to Aberystwyth.

From this precious, delicate experience, we were whisked off to the University of Michigan School of Music for an expert performance by John Brock on the celebrated Fisk 1985 "copy" of the 1718-1721 Silbermann/Hildebrandt organ in St. George's Church, Rötha, Germany. As one prominent conventioneer put it, "At first I thought that it really wasn't too loud after all, but then he turned on the mixtures!" Overly aggressive mixtures and chiffing, clicking principals or not, Mr. Brock very ably and stylishly displayed a great variety of sounds in Baroque works by Muffat, Böhm, and Bach. Having played the original Silbermann (Can we possibly be certain that it sounds "original" today, especially following the 1833 repairs, the 1935 repairs, the war damage, and the 1947 restoration by Eule?) in the rather intimate, carpeted, pew-padded, non-reverberant Rötha church a few years ago, this reviewer distinctly remembers his surprise and delight at the absence of chiff in the principal and flute ranks: subtle tonguing attack, yes; chiffing and chonking, no. Thankfully today we're again seeing a trend amongst leading organbuilders towards more refined pipe speech than was the practice during the 1960's, 70's and 80's.

The afternoon was given over to hilarity as the inimitable Jane Edge and her Victorian Nonet Songsters donned costumes for a program of Victorian Gems. The Victorian interior of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Ypsilanti, with its 1949 Holtkamp incorporating parts of an 1875 E. & G. G. Hook and Hastings, was ideal for this event. Shall we ever forget the above-mentioned Madame Crugher Balduf, in enormous antique hat and flounces, leading off in Harry Rowe Shelley's heart rending anthem Hark, Hark, My Soul? There was scarcely a dry eye as later the histrionic Madame, in deep throated contralto, over enunciated the telling, yet poignant words "o-f    s-i-n" in Mrs. M. S. B. Dana's pathetic Flee as a Bird. As expected Mrs. Edge provided witty and perfect organ accompaniments.

From this we emerged to hear Vance Harper Jones on the bold Barckhoff organ of 1905 in the First Congregational Church several blocks away. Though housed in a chamber, the modest instrument sounds full and big, smooth and clear in the intimate, dry room. The bluesy Balm in Gilead by Joe Utterback was only one of six utterly unknown works played, the last involving a little routine with a comic Uncle Sam hat. Whether the frivolity of these programs was the result of careful calculation or happenstance, it was the perfect tonic for the traditional Thursday-afternoon-slump that invariably occurs in OHS convention weeks.

After the delicious evening banquet at the beautiful Michigan League on campus, we and everyone else on campus were treated to a carillon recital by Margo Halsted and Donald Traser on the great carillon in the university's Burton Tower. A quick trip up the elevator brought many of us into direct contact with this enormous instrument as it was being played. And we organists think our instruments are big and powerful!

Then followed what was for many the highlight of the convention: Professor Robert Glasgow's masterful performance on the famous Aeolian-Skinner behemoth in Hill Auditorium. Recently refurbished and provided with a new combination system, reliable key action, and a piston sequencer (liberally used throughout the recital), this organ can certainly astonish and satisfy those in love with the biggest. The program of four works, Marche Funèbre et Chant Séraphique by Guilmant, Arioso and Pageant of Autumn by Sowerby, and Fantasia and Fugue on The Chorale "Ad nos, ad salutarem undam" by Liszt showed the best of everything: a superlative, mature, world-class performer on an enormous and superior instrument he thoroughly understands, performing fine, appropriate literature with consummate insight and virtuosity, poetry and passion. Although excessive heat and humidity in the un-airconditioned hall may have taken a minor toll on note accuracy in some of Liszt's more treacherous passages, the audience was effusive in its resounding praise. Thankfully personal preferences of taste and style, as well as petty comparisons and fault-finding, largely disappear at such a grand event; the eminent artist communicated the music in an extraordinary way, and the audience realized it was the fortunate recipient of something quite special.

Friday

By this time in the week the troops began to shake down to the intrepid and ardent, but the Friday and Saturday crowds were gratifyingly large this year. Agnes Armstrong, an authority on Félix-Alexandre Guilmant, gave an interesting lecture on this great concert artist, composer, and teacher, leading nicely into her mid-morning recital of Guilmant works at Cass Community United Methodist Church in Detroit. In this much-stressed structure exists the largest unaltered nineteenth-century organ in Michigan, a three-manual Johnson & Son instrument of 1892. Although barely playable, Ms. Armstrong succeeded in showing its present "dark brilliance" in a program including three works played by Guilmant himself on this very organ in 1898. OHS members in the Detroit area, including organbuilders Dana Hull and David Wigton, announced that they have "adopted" this great instrument for further care and love. It is a treasure, and it was exciting to see the OHS at work once more making a struggling congregation aware of the worth their neglected organ.

From here we were taken to the immense and imposing Old St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church to see builder Wigton's magnum opus. David Hufford's expressive and virtuosic playing was a more than able match for this massive and most impressive French-style instrument. The inclusion of a small chamber choir singing the entire Fauré Requiem with organ accompaniment as the major portion of the program resulted in a small disappointment in this particular venue, for it meant that Mr. Hufford had time for only two short organ works, the Hymne d'Action de grâce, "Te Deum" by Langlais, and the opening movement of Widor's Sixth Symphony, to show off what must be a myriad of riches in this organ. Regardless of the pleasant choir and the splendid playing of Mr. Hufford, one was left with a sense of frustration at not hearing much more of this impressive, unusual organ.

We then bused out to Grosse Pointe Farms, only a few miles distant but in reality a world away, to hear an elegant Klais organ of 1989 at The Grosse Pointe Memorial Church (Presbyterian). David Wagner, one of seventeen of the week's recitalists who studied at the University of Michigan's organ department, managed to give us a good sampling of the colors in this large, first-rate German tracker, unfortunately set in a dry and unflattering acoustic. Immediately after this we moved down the road where Mr. Wagner gave us a too short demonstration on the 1986 Wilhelm organ at St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church, an organ more satisfying than the Klais to many, probably due to the fine, lively acoustics. Here great excitement ensued when one of our coaches got stuck halfway into the church driveway and half out into a busy, four-lane roadway. There being no immediate remedy for this predicament, despite some amusing antics involving a Jeep and a chain, we consolidated and went on our way with one-third of the group standing in the aisles of the remaining buses.

The imposing Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church welcomed us for a delightful dinner and a concert on the famed 1925 E. M. Skinner masterpiece in the soaring Gothic-style church. After a miscue to the audience as to when to begin singing the opening hymn, organist JanEl B. Gortmaker proceeded to play the entire Vierne Third Symphony without an audible wrong note. Such perfection is so unusual that it is satisfying in itself, but when it is coupled with an intelligent, rhythmically controlled, beautifully phrased, polished projection of the musical ideas behind the notes, it becomes really memorable. The only negative aspect here was the intense disappointment felt by some that the anxiously awaited organ demonstration did not fully materialize: that the magical orchestral effects inherent in this celebrated organ went largely unheard. By-the-book registration of standard European organ literature did not begin to explore this wonderful organ thoroughly. Even worse, it led to some abuse of the high pressure/high decibel reeds, with concomitant abuse of the audience's ears. Whether an organ comes off as beautiful, magical, poetic, mighty, and grand, or whether it is perceived as overbearing, opaque, crass, or vulgar is perhaps more dependent on the organist's refined sense of sound and registration with such an orchestral organ than with possibly any other kind of organ. One of the week's lessons, that orchestral organs demand a special and non-traditional approach, was now thrice taught.

An hour later we were back in Ann Arbor for James Kibbie's recital on the brand new 1995 Orgues Létourneau tracker at St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church. This large, modern "worship center" has recently been redone to feature an admirable acoustic for worship and music which compliments this rather bright, pleasing, essentially neo-Baroque organ nicely. Even the chiffy flutes are convincing in such an environment. Dr. Kibbie, the organ consultant for this project, must have liked it, for he played to the large crowd, including many parishioners and other townspeople, in the stifling heat from memory with confidence, fine style, and, in the main, musical success. His program of great standards was spiced by the inclusion of the beautiful Nigerian Prayer: "Oba a ba ke" by Fela Sowande, an African musician who lived and worked in this country for many years before his death in 1987.

Saturday

Nearly a week after the start of the convention, three busloads of us were still going and going. This year's convention was atypical in its inclusion of so many modern organs, and this day we were treated to four more. Our first stop was St. John Neumann Roman Catholic Church in Canton, another modern "worship center" that unfortunately is not a pleasant home for the David Wigton 1993 "rebuild and enlargement" of an 1885 Carl Barckhoff organ. Enough of this instrument has been altered so as to make the original not readily recognizable. Nonetheless, it is an affable organ with a contemporary sound and visual appearance. Organist Brian DuSell's program of Bruhns, Bach, Gigout, Albright, and Vaughan Williams exercised the instrument completely, especially the pedals in Albright's ever popular Jig for the Feet.

Our next stop at Zion Lutheran Church in Detroit, home church of our convention chairman Dana Hull, served up a host of delights. Many of us were amazed at the rich English Gothic-style interior and the scent of incense of this "High Lutheran" parish. Sitting in a transept was a current Hull project: the ongoing restoration of a mid-nineteenth century Robjohn chamber-size organ in an absolutely exquisite rosewood case. Finally, from the rear gallery, it was a great treat to hear the crystalline and surprisingly refined 1932 Vottler-Holtkamp-Sparling organ, including its mysterious Ludwig Tone 8', a uniquely beautiful flute celeste. Gordon Atkinson played an unusual program, including Little Suite for Organ by English composer Martin Ball, which was commissioned for this recital.

At St. James' Episcopal Church in Grosse Ile we were graciously hosted by a large group of parishioners to a lovely picnic on the grounds, with the refreshing river views and park-like setting reviving our flagging spirits. Inside the old chapel building organist Edward M. Schramm played an unexpected program on the 1987 Charles Ruggles tracker, a little organ with a big, big sound. The successful realization of Reger's Introduction and Passacaglia on this 13-stop instrument caused no small degree of astonishment.

It was fitting that the two final scheduled events of the convention featured two venerable and "grand" instruments from the past. At Pilgrim Church back in Detroit Elgin Clingaman offered a well-played recital on an 1889 Granville Wood & Son organ, a very grand sound indeed in a very dead acoustical environment. Bless them, they didn't let dead acoustics deter the creation of true grandeur way back then in the olden days! Just start with a huge 16' Double Open Diapason of wood in the pedal, and the rest would follow naturally. Fascinating parts of this recital were the three works of the Belgian nineteenth- century composer Joseph Callaerts. The increasingly wearied, even jaded, group appreciated particularly his winsome Scherzo, Op. 31.

The opulent, mellow, smooth, rich tonal magnificence of the 1892 George Jardine and Son organ down the street in Trinity Episcopal Church then beckoned, and ignoring tired ears, off we trotted. This wonderful organ, installed far from optimally in a chancel chamber with a small facade and the key desk in the transept, gives the lie to the mandate that rather low-pressure trackers must be free-standing to be successful. Again, those good old guys really did know how to fill a room with sound, whatever the challenge! Here Joanne Vollendorf appeared for the second time and gave an engaging program of music by women composers, from Fanny Hensel-Mendelssohn to Frances McCollin. Ms. Vollendorf's musical playing brought a fitting conclusion to a truly outstanding week for many of the participants.

But not to let the evening "go to waste," an extra post-convention tour had been organized only a week or two previously, and an amazing two bus loads of dauntless enthusiasts plowed forward. Were we ever hugely rewarded! Two glorious churches, two scintillating organs, and a superb recitalist awaited us.

At Fort Street Presbyterian Church, a superb Gothic-style building with a true wonder of a hammer-beam truss ceiling, the organ is plastered across the entire front of the building in an exuberant fantasy of black walnut pinnacles and white, gold, pink, and taupe painted pipes. Here we were met by recitalist Thomas M. Kuras, a formidable organ artist. His program, prepared rather last-minute, included virtuoso works by Bossi, Dubois, and his own Postlude on "Vigiles et Sanctae" on the impressive Odell

/Wangerin-Weickhardt/Möller/McMan-us/Price/Robertson/Helderop composite organ.

However, greater delights awaited. After dinner we rode over to what is certainly one of the most wondrous and awe-inspiring Gothic-style interiors in the country. St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church is an absolutely glorious, highly colored, many statued, German-built edifice with equally fabulous acoustics. It is reminiscent of the marvelous Cathedral in Freiberg, Germany, where a great Gottfried Silbermann organ resides. It is the only Detroit church listed on the National Register of Historic Places, primarily for its extraordinary German stained glass windows. Here Mr. Kuras has played the organ and led performances of weekly choral Latin Masses and regular orchestral Masses for several decades. And this night, play he did. Masterfully! The program included his own extensive Partita for Organ on "Austria" and an utterly charming Berceuse on "O Sanctissima." A thrilling improvisation on not one but three submitted themes brought down the house. The organ here is a 1973 two-manual tracker, modest in size when compared to the building, but generous in tone. Built by local builder William Worden, it incorporates some once-butchered but now restored pipework from the original 1873 Odell organ, including the handsome stencilled facade, as well as some other old pipes. In essence, however, it is a versatile, eclectic instrument of impressive musical value whose stoplist and sounds closely resemble those of organs being built by leading American tracker builders right now rather than those being built 22 years ago. We went out into the night on a genuine high.

This convention was at once extremely well-organized and relaxed, with a beautifully-planned pace, easy flow, and relatively few snafus. Chairman Dana Hull and her committee, as well as Convention Coordinator Alan Laufman and the OHS staff in Richmond, deserve high praise and deep appreciation for an excellent week. The huge variety of beautiful instruments and churches, the discovery of some exciting, unfamiliar players, the opportunity to hear some old favorite players, the unusual yet appealing programs, the luxurious accommodations, the sumptuous meals and frequent refreshments throughout each day, the comfortable, clean transportation, the customarily reasonable OHS prices, and the genuinely friendly and open crowd all combined to make one terrific week.

The focus of these yearly gatherings has gradually (and gratefully) expanded from an interest solely in eighteenth and nineteenth century trackers to include serious interest in and appreciation for significant electric action organs from the past and a refreshing look at top-notch, artistic modern organs. Naturally, this has served to attract a larger and more diverse crowd with a wider view of things. The conventions have expanded to a very full six and a half days which increasing numbers of people enjoy without missing one single event. Based as these conclaves are on a sincere interest in experiencing as many fine organs, fine players, and fine recitals of organ literature as possible in a given week, they are unique in our country and, perhaps, in the world. (For a serious concert organist with awareness enough to notice and process what is going on, just the chance to hear 37 different recitals by 37 different players on 37 different organs in one week, played to the same audience, is an incredibly valuable lesson in what works and what doesn't in terms of planning and playing recitals. For a serious, artistic organbuilder, the chance to hear and compare the degree of success of that many organs in that many American churches in one week is unparalleled.) How fortunate we are to have the OHS producing such events for our edification and enjoyment as a part of its mission. The Society deserves accolades as it continues to support the cause of genuine pipe organs at this time in America of mounting threat to the use and even existence of such marvelous and noble instruments, whether they are old or new.

Next year the OHS conventioneers will gather in Philadelphia for what will certainly be an exhilarating week, Sunday, June 30 through Saturday, July 6. On the Fourth of July we'll be enjoying a dinner cruise on the river, watching the fireworks over the city where our nation was born. From 18th-century Tannenberg and Dieffenbach trackers to the world-famous monumental organs in the Wanamaker store and Longwood Gardens, we'll hear them all. Plan to join us for a week that is unlike anything happening elsewhere.

Part 2

Northwest Spaces

Physical, metaphysical, mental and spiritual; Concerts expand one's perceptions and test prejudices

A random survey around the convention seemed to reveal a tie vote for favorite recitals, between the paired events at Pacific Lutheran's Fritts organ and the Kynaston recitals at St. James Cathedral. The balance was tipped by the "Catholic Worship," the office of Lauds offered three times at the Cathedral, not most by the music, the ceremony, nor the incense ("not a fragrance-free corner"), but by the sermon of the Cathedral's Pastor, the Very Rev. Michael Ryan. Imagine a room of musicians listening intently to a sermon! Fr. Ryan suggested that, in a twist on the imagery of Donne, visitors and music in the place are made honest parts of the Sacrament.

The new Rosales organ was dedicated only two weeks before the convention, in a solo recital by Cathedral organist Joseph Adam proving the success of the marriage between old and new instruments in literature from Bach to Widor. The program featured a large solo work by Naji Hakim, The Last Judgment, on motifs from the windows around which the organ case is spaced on the theme, "As ye did it to the least of these, my brethren." Those who managed to be at the Cathedral at supper time on July 4th heard it in reprise; a virtuoso prelude to fireworks, of course, a sort of rondo returning to great bass clusters; a better work than the one with orchestra which ended the convention. I'd already heard the organ accompanying a professional choir the week before that, and was struck by the way Manuel Rosales has sprouted a new and different organ from the same tonal roots as grew the Hutchings-Votey in the gallery almost a century ago. If hubris can be said to have characterized the Fisk project, one can say that the Rosales work betrays a certain humility.

I can't add much to what has been said about the PLU Fritts, save that I find the work to be so blended in tone that I like to sit as close in as possible--and that the beauties of the sound bear that close examination. Neither quirky nor subdued, it is simply a work of great balance and maturity. A close third in favorite recitals was John Weaver's at the new Reuter organ at University Presbyterian Church. This church is only a few blocks from my home, and I've been there on a Sunday morning, as well as early on when I asked the organist how they were going to fit a tracker into this chancel. "Not a tracker," she said, "Absolutely not a tracker." I came to scoff, but left with praise.

The Northwest had for decades exactly one electropneumatic builder, with a sort of "American Classic" style, whose best work was heard in a Kimberly Marshall program with wind ensemble--but in reaction to which, the area has grown its strong "Baroque revival" tracker bias and trend. A Skinner, several Kimballs, a Kilgen, and an Austin are long gone; the Hutchings at St. James, possibly not the best of the lot, is all that remains of what the region has deemed an outworn style. In this vein, one very fine young teacher left the Weaver event steaming, outraged that such outdated playing should be allowed!

The pendulum swings, with a half-period of about thirty years; warm fundamental sound has come back even to "Baroque" organs. What we heard when John Weaver played this large Reuter organ seemed to me not to be highly colored; in the Brahms preludes we heard varieties and textures of gray, mauve, pastels--subtly varied and never extreme. The playing was skilled, tasteful, assured. The Bach transcription of Ernst which opened displayed a legato manner we simply don't hear around here; when was the last time I saw legato manual changes? Weaver's own Suite (1995) was followed by an encore, a paraphrase on "For All the Saints" and "When the Saints," whose themes are inversions of each other. Commissioned by the Reuter firm, the piece elicited requests for copies; it's in print (Boosey and Hawkes, I think) and appears on the CD Weaver has already made on this organ, available from the OHS. For our prejudice, we are admonished.

For the record, this Reuter organ was opened last winter by Dame Gillian Wier, as was, a couple of years back, a large Casavant across the lake in Bellevue, Washington, played by James Holloway of PLU in the convention's "Protestant Worship." On Sunday Dame Gillian made a pre-convention appearance at University Methodist Church, just down the street from home of this new Reuter organ, playing on the remains of a Kimball rebuilt by the local builder in the '70s. Despite the lateness of the program book, and thus of the ad for the event, a good house was present to admire the poised skills of another major figure.

Young Artists Edie Johnson and Paul Johnson shared a recital at the Church of the Epiphany's new Fritz Noack tracker, a finely made, chambered installation which does not speak very well into a not very hospitable room. My notes remind me that Ms. Johnson ended with Hakim's Homage to Stravinski, where a pulsing crescendo really wants an acoustic lacking in this parish church. She opened with a Handel concerto with lavish ornament and articulation, transcribed from an early barrel organ, in a stately manner reminding me of a Stanley voluntary. Mr. Jacobs played all Bach; a rhapsodic Praeludium and Fugue in a, preceded by the e-minor trio sonata whose first movement featured quite a lot of rubato which I thought not quite completely under control, and opening with the Sinfonia from Cantata #29 in Dupré's transcription, a broad orchestral sound which brought out the best of the organ's German side. This was really advanced playing from two already admired stars of the near future.

David Hurd's program on the Willis was a bit of a puzzlement. His opening Toccata served chiefly to demonstrate the under winding of the organ, a problem present since the low-bid 1987 installation. This organ was thrust upon the Jesuit-led parish before they were ready for it--it was an Organ Clearing House panic salvage from a redundant West End London church--and is still a bit of a mystery to the Jesuit-led congregation, who still ask "Is this a good organ?" Its virtues were clearer in a Mendelssohn f-minor sonata; one could imagine Felix playing on just such sounds. Sad to say, the commission by old friend Roupen Shakarian, "Inner Places for brass quintet and organ," was not a success. The inner movement was the best, with a night call and the sound of the Willis strings, but elsewhere the 20th-century brass utterly overpowered the gentle 19th-century pipes. Roupen, a widely heard conductor as well as composer, has always seemed an exuberant fellow; an introspective piece didn't reflect the qualities I know. The improvisation ending the recital made one regret the lost opportunity to have heard this playing on an adequately restored organ.

--DC

We often hear the term "in this space," in reference to lofty sanctuaries or cathedral churches. "Sacred places" are set aside in recognition of their special qualities of wonder, awe and spiritual power. Two such places exist in Seattle, and they are the cathedrals of St. Mark and St. James.

Christa Rakich's performance and playing ability was exquisitely matched to the justly famous Flentrop at St. Mark's Cathedral, Seattle. She seemed to innately sense the length of phrase for the magnificent acoustic of this formidable box of a room that was once a war-time armory. As sunlight streamed through the immense clear glass windows onto massive whitewashed columns, she spun phrases of Bach, Franck and Hindemith in perfect harmony with the space of the church and gorgeous sonority of the instrument. There are few places where one can hear neo-classic pipes with such a comely tone. Mixtures sparkle and pipe speech is transformed into a rich cusp of sound, announcing imminent warmth and generosity.

St. James Cathedral is not quite walking distance from St. Mark's. It is a much larger room with a vaulted ceiling and central dome of huge proportions. Like St. Mark's, it is a mystical place which invited the commission of a unique organ for the year 2000, just as St. Mark's Cathedral did in 1965.

Nicholas Kynaston must have wide experience playing English organs in immense cathedral spaces, because he presented a flawless performance on the two organs that occupy this large space. In reality, they are more than a city block apart. He played with such consummate rhythmic assurance, that one sensed only the acoustical union of the two instruments. And a May-December marriage it is.  Manuel Rosales completed this new organ for the chancel of the church just in time for the convention, yet it perfectly complements a 1907 Ferrand-Votey in the balcony! Scaling and voicing of the two organs give a "hand in glove" effect that is truly uncanny.

St. James Cathedral has such generous reverberation that a lesser organist could be trapped into "playing to the chancel," and letting chords fall like glass shards. Kynaston knew the formula for playing to the entire room with an immensely musical result. He gave a reading of mostly unfamiliar works--his choices seemed if anything, to add to the magic of the performance.

Another significant performance at St. James Cathedral was Bach's B-minor Mass, very ably conducted by Martin Haselböck with local choral and orchestral forces. Haselböck has a fluid conducting technique that is inspiring to watch. He is able to whip up crisp accents then relax as the music flows on, almost by itself. His is an innately musical approach which drives, but never forces the music.

A short conversation with James Savage, music director of this Cathedral Church, revealed that the new Rosales organ fulfilled the dreams of the late Howard Hoyt, who, as organist, pressed for such an instrument for some 17 years. Mr. Savage is justifiably proud of this accomplishment, which is surely the dream that Howard Hoyt nourished all that time.

--HH

Bookends:

Guy Bovet opening recital and Gala closing concert with the Seattle Symphony and Hatsumi Miura, Carole Terry and Marie-Bernadette Dufourcet-Hakim on the Fisk organ at Benaroya Hall

It is unusual for a major convention to bookend first and last concerts with one particular organ; however in Seattle the opening and closing concerts showcased the Fisk Organ at Benaroya Hall, the new home of the Seattle Symphony. It is far more common to exhibit important new organs with symposia of one form or another, where the weight of time bears less heavily, since the organs are finished well in advance of the event and not freshly minted just in time for a major assemblage.

We avoided a chronological account of the convention for a number of reasons, one of which was the somewhat controversial reception of this organ and the room in which it makes its home. We also point out that the immense success of this convention is the result of not one new organ in the city, but many. Seattle floats in a sea of new and impportant organs!

The Rosales organ at St. James Cathedral was, at convention time, just a few weeks old, the new Reuter organ at University Presbyterian a few months old, the Fritts organ at Pacific Lutheran University just a year old, and Martin Pasi's organ at Lynnwood just five years old. There were also some very significant organs that were not heard because the rooms were too small to house the crowd: John Brombaugh's landmark instrument at Christ Church, Tacoma, and Paul Fritts' new organ at the Church of the Ascension come to mind.  In a word, the sophistication of the organ culture in the Northwest is legendary and the task of building a new organ there might be compared to composing opera in nineteenth-century Italy. There is formidable competition!

I would like to believe that the Fisk organ at Benaroya Hall is not a finished work, but might be subject to the artistic vision of its creators for some time to come. Some organ builders prefer to withhold performance on their instruments until the moment of "acceptance." I remember one episode, where as representative of a major organ builder, I waited for that "acceptance" while a local organist called all around the village, trying to find someone who would be brave enough to "accept" the organ! I much prefer the strategy I have come to know with the organ builders Martin Pasi and Paul Fritts--new stops are played in public, one by one, as they are installed in the organ. This seems to be a sure-footed way to test the organ in the room with and without an audience. I sincerely hope that the Fisk organ has begun this process of testing so that the necessary adjustments may take place.

--HH

Let me admit to some bias. I've known and admired Guy Bovet for a quarter century and more, and some aeons ago made a harpsichord for him. His brilliant mind and iconoclastic bent are givens; his ear and skills indisputable. All the odder, then, that in his recital on the monumental new Fisk which now completes the Seattle Symphony's two-year-old home, he managed to convince many a hearer, including me, that this is not a success.

In The Diapason of February 1982, Calvin Hampton laid out basics of organ for use with orchestra, including needs for sheer loudness, what Steven Dieck has called "a wall of opaque sound." That article was basic reference in early planning for the new hall. Local AGO folk had witnessed a "demonstration" of the organ in February, under odd ground rules: no literature, nor anything more than four bars, was to be played, and no sounds not considered "finished" were to be heard at all. We came away then with the impression of a Great geigen chorus heard through the wrong end of a telescope, a somewhat smaller Swell chorus, some interesting flutes, promising reeds, and one overwhelming Bombarde, setting the upper limit of the sound, the only register to involve the room at all--and an injunction not to discuss the evening, lest we offend. 'Twas said that since then the normal choruses had been brought up a bit--but for impact and presence, the organ still seems to depend on high-pressure "stentor" ranks.

The Seattle Symphony, in its former home, played on a large stage below a high scenery fly into a large opera house, sawing away to make themselves heard. The new hall was planned with as small a stage and as low a ceiling as practicable, placing the band at the mouth of a horn for maximum projection and accuracy. The players have been struggling to refine their sound downward in this efficient space. Musical Director Gerard Schwartz wanted the room to be relatively dry; in an exchange with M. Bovet, he remarked that he "really likes to hear the notes." That one can do; I've heard my harpsichord perfectly from the top of the back balcony. Smoothness and blend are other matters, as we heard the last night of the convention; but that's another tale.

The confined space below that ceiling forced a horizontal design to the organ; not encased, as the Flentrop at Rotterdam's De Dolen [The Diapason, June 1969,] but really in a room extending up behind the ceiling; far from our current thoughts about spaces for organs! The chests are spaced around this room in a way far from the classical encasements of the successful Fisks in Dallas and Yokohama; whoever remarked to me that this was an electropneumatic organ which happened to have trackers was not far from the mark. Although Fisk has the best record in North America with orchestral hall instruments, this might have been a project better built by someone else.

Seattle organ fans have been spoiled, maybe, by a number of wonderful matches of organs with unusual rooms; Benaroya concert hall isn't one of them. Maybe elsewhere one would find this organ wonderful. Other observers, who moved about the hall, found the effect to vary widely. The room had been praised for the well distributed, if not blended, sound of the orchestra in every seat. Barbara Owen, for one, reported the sound from lower side seats not to be loud, and Richard Campbell, critic for the daily paper, commented at length on the organ's uneven sound about the room. Michael Barone reports that on tape the organs sounds just fine. For me, forward and back, it was mostly crude and LOUD; loud enough to be industrial, to threaten hair cells in the inner ear. Charles Fisk, on leaving a career of bomb making for organs, remarked (I paraphrase) that "the only way an organ can hurt anyone is to fall over on him." He was wrong.

Bovet played for the last Seattle National Convention in 1978; a program of French and Spanish music, on an organ of the most severe North German school. Before beginning, he offered a brief demonstration of the stops "so that you can hear the organ before the magic of performance converts it into something it was perhaps never intended to be." There was no such magic this year. Like Ron Weasley's broken wand (of Harry Potter lore), Sunday's recital backfired. The early days to follow were filled with speculation, as some who read the Internet organ gossip columns will know, about Bovet's intent, even possible malice. Bovet is heavily involved in a much larger forthcoming Fisk, for the cathedral in Lausanne, and some thought he was sending Fisk a message. I had one chance to corner him to ask--but he headed the other way.

My sharpest commentator suggested to me the obvious: that what we heard was the demonstration; that, finding the organ of too little interest to inspire artistry, Bovet just let us hear what the organ really was. It might be so. The decision to open the recital with the St. Anne Prelude and Fugue played, not on the normal choruses, but on the solo stentor division, began the controversy. Steven Dieck, president of the Fisk firm, was still shaking his head two days later: "We never, ever, imagined that anyone would ever do that." Add to that such minor details as a couple of timing errors with the combination action, and one knew that at the very least we were not hearing the skill and subtleties which are Bovet's usual virtues.

It was, typically for Guy, an unusual if not an odd program, pairing familiar Franck and some of Bovet's stock Balbastre with Alain, Karg-Elert, and some of Bovet's own "compositions." We heard some lively playing on beautiful flutes and a somewhat Germanic Franck, but not the promised " . . . refined, colorful world of the German Romantic organ."

I find that I have, on tape, an interview with Bovet from the House of Hope Fisk, in which he can be heard to say, "I'm not a composer, but I compose anyway." I take him at his word. His pieces, some of them now rather famous, I suspect of being tests for the listener. These three "Tangos ecclesiaticos" did let us hear unusual sounds, but not the attractive side of this multi-faceted personality. However heard, it was an oddly disconcerting beginning to a fabulous week of music.

-- DC

The opening recital of the AGO Seattle 2000 convention by Guy Bovet provided no Mozartean cadences to go gentle on the ear. Rather, he threw the organ into the hall in a brutal embrace. So began AGO Seattle 2000 with a Fisk organ that duels with orchestra, rather than augmenting it. Who said the organ was required to exceed the power of an orchestra? Surely, this is a misconception, carried to its absurd conclusion at Benaroya Hall, Seattle.

Perhaps Bovet found himself in the infamous court of the emperor with no clothes, where the only alternative, given the obligation of performing the opening recital, was to "tell it like it is," pull out all the stops and let 'er rip. The angry sound that ensued succeeded in driving more than a few listeners to the far reaches of the hall. It was a simple matter of finding a back row and inquiring if there was an empty seat. There, one could hear the organ with a more rational perspective, but surely, something is wrong when the best seats in the house are in the back rows!

--HH

The final event featured organists Hatsumi Miura, incumbent at the Fisk organ in Yokohama; Carole Terry; and Marie-Bernadette Dufourcet-Hakim. I was pleased by several personal touches: Dr. Terry's playing of the Copland Organ Symphony was underwritten in memory of Northwest native Leonard Raver. Playing in the augmented percussion section were Matt Kozmirowski, whose earliest gig in Seattle was with Raver at St. Mark's, and Paul Hansen, son of beloved Edward.

The concluding concert with the Seattle Symphony had been prefigured the night before the convention opening, when in the official premiere of the Fisk organ (sold out a year in advance) James David Christie of Boston opened with the Bach Prelude and Fugue in G, BWV 550, and later the last movement of Guilmant's Symphony No. 1 in d. Bovet played a Handel Concerto in F, Op. 4, No. 4, and the Pièce Héroïque of Franck. Carole Terry, consultant on this project and named "Resident Organist and Curator," offered a Haydn Concerto No. 2 in C, and the world premiere of David Diamond's Symphony No. 10, begun a decade ago but lately completed to include the organ in the last two movements. The debut was broadcast and recorded. I can report from the wireless that Bovet's playing of the Handel displayed all his usual witty use of rubato and some quite beautiful flutes, and convincing Franck. Christie's playing was bravura; he was able to stay on to play the complete Guilmant for the Symphony's subscription audience after the convention. Terry's was straightforward; the Diamond was long and rather dull. (Maestro Schwartz has been a long-time supporter of Diamond; doubtless a recording will appear.)

Schwartz' faults as conductor do not run to over-subtlty. A trumpeter, he demands full-out playing from his brass, with matching brightness elsewhere. All the music for the Finale was of this model; a former conductor of Seattle's orchestra is quoted [I paraphrase again] "People don't like music; they like the noise it makes." [Wasn't it Beecham who said this? If not, never mind.] In Robert Sirota's commissioned In the Fullness of Time, with a tuned bell ostinato, the orchestra submerged the organ at the end. On the other hand, I noticed that in the Poulenc Concerto the ascending string figure was obscured by organ tone.

The whole concluded with Hakim's Seattle Concerto in three movements; big and splashy in the manner of Stravinsky, it quoted Night on Bald Mountain a couple of times, contained a Slavic march, and ended with a great noise with an echoing cheer from the audience. One anonymous Bostonian said that this convention was the first to exceed the high standard set in 1976. As a local, I think that visitors had a good view of the reasons the Northwest takes pride in its organ culture, along with some shortcomings. The weather was hospitable; for the first time in living memory, it didn't rain on the fireworks, either on the 4th of July or from the organs.

--DC

Reflections on the "Seattle Organ Culture"

As an epilogue to a review of the AGO Seattle 2000 convention, it seems mandatory to recognize the overwhelming presence of an organ culture in the Pacific Northwest that is most unusual and compelling. The organ is a vibrant instrument here, full of mystery and charm and more than anything else, known to hundreds of thousands of people in the area.

This all began with the installation of the now famous Dirk Flentrop organ at St. Mark's Cathedral in 1965. Perhaps audiences were captivated by the unique space and spiritual energy of this church; perhaps it was the acoustics; perhaps the beauty of the instrument--most likely all these qualities lead to enormously well attended weekly concerts, year after year. One cannot forget that this came about while Peter Hallock was Cantor of St. Mark's. He has left this legacy to his successors.

The Pacific Northwest, once dubbed "Tracker Alley" by John Hamilton (from the University of Oregon) is simply full of wondrous sounds of the organ from a variety of gifted builders. John Brombaugh moved out west from Germantown, Ohio to be part of it. Martin Pasi encountered these famous organs when he visited as a guest of David Dahl, recently retired professor of organ at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma. Dahl has singlehandedly "professed" the qualities of finely crafted organs to church after church in the area and as a consequence, left an indelible mark on the history of organ art in this place.

Edward Hansen created the now famous "noon recitals" at Plymouth Congregational Church in Downtown Seattle. Most convention goers knew him as past president of the AGO. Locally, he was revered as a professor at the University of Puget Sound and looked up to by his students as a moral and spiritual icon by which they could set their compass. These disciples have gone on to major posts in the organ world, but more importantly, they have become moral and spiritual icons for their students.

Randall J. McCarty worked tirelessly to bring pipe organs to countless churches in the Northwest, especially through auspices of the Organ Historical Society and Alan Laufman's Organ Clearing House. As a performer of early music and instructor in harpsichord at Pacific Lutheran University, he influenced students and local organists year after year. A testament to his influence in the area is the fact that after his passing, local interest in the organ as a musical instrument gained momentum, rather than losing it. Perhaps this whole phenomenon is like the space shuttle--once it goes into orbit, it stays there.

The "Seattle Organ Culture" gives way to the "Northwest Fusion Organ," as organ building goes from strength to strength in the Pacific Northwest. It might be said that it has entered its second generation. Edward Hansen was succeeded by Steven Williams as organist of Plymouth Congregational Church, and chair of the AGO Seattle 2000 committee. David Dahl has been succeeded by James Halloway at Pacific Lutheran University. Melvin Butler is successor to Peter Hallock at St. Mark's Cathedral. Joseph Adam carries on the memory of Howard Hoyt as organist of St. James Cathedral. And my co-reviewer David Calhoun walks to a great extent in the footsteps of his late partner Randall McCarty. It is a second generation organ culture now, and as such, has become world class, resting squarely on the shoulders of those who created it and their able successors who foster it today. It is time to reflect on this magnificent legacy.              HH

The author thanks Scott Carpenter and Harry Martinas for editorial help with this report.

The 46th annual convention of the Organ Historical Society
(OHS) took place June 21-28, 2001, in North Carolina, centering around
Winston-Salem. Convention registration brings with it the fabulous Organ
Handbook, with recital programs, organ specifications and photographs, and bios
and photos of performers. It's the Bible for the week, eagerly devoured, and
kept in one's library forever. As with last year, the editor this year was
Jonathan Ambrosino.

Thursday, June 21

The opening concert was held at First Presbyterian Church in
Greensboro, the perfect convention opening on several levels. The building is
stunningly beautiful, designed by Hobart Upjohn, modeled on the cathedral at
Albi in France, and somehow built in 1929 and 1930, in the height of the Great
Depression. It was able to accommodate the entire convention, not the case with
quite a few buildings later in the week, when we were often divided into
smaller groups. The organ, finished by Létourneau just last year, fills
the 1400-seat building with great clarity and power. It is a grand creation,
with large instruments in both gallery and chancel, beautifully encased. The
acoustic of the building is organ-friendly, but nothing more. Having chancel
pipes on both sides and a large gallery division placed very high up gives the
instrument a great presence. There is a very effective en chamade reed atop the
gallery division. The whole enterprise is undergirded by digital 32's, not
obnoxious all of the time, but often enough.

Bruce Stevens plays with grace and elegance. The program
opened with the Kerll Passacaglia in D Minor, which introduced us to the clarity of the instrument's choruses and
other combination possibilities, through a great variety of variations,
building to a quite sturdy ending. Next, Beethoven, Adagio in F Major (Organ Sonata 8) played on a pleasantly limpid flute registration. Somewhere, at every recital of an OHS convention, a hymn gets sung, mostly meant to show the effectiveness of the organ as an accompanimental instrument, but the custom has taken on a life of its own. There is even a special hymnal printed, especially attractive this year. The recitalist gets to choose the hymn, and to accompany it with as much or as little freedom as wanted. The hymn, "I will give thanks with my whole
heart," to the tune Herr Jesu Christ, was sung in glorious harmony,
supported magnificently by Stevens. Next, Rheinberger, Introduction and
Passacaglia (from Sonata No. 8). This sonata is glorious, and both player and
organ did it complete justice. The huge power of the Pedal, some of it achieved
by illicit means (I would personally prefer a good Resultant), gave the ending
particular force. Then, Franck, Choral No. 2 in B-Minor
style='font-style:normal'>; next, Stevens and flutist Marcella Leonard
performed The Hedding Suite by
Everett Titcomb. Liszt's Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H
style='font-style:normal'> received a totally splendid performance, virtuosic
in the extreme, registered without fear, including the en chamade in the
balcony. The Liszt was a glorious ending to a great recital, and a promising beginning for the week to come.

Friday, June 22

The first full day plunged us right into the OHS convention
bus-church-bus-church routine at its richest and fullest, complete with an 8:30
a.m. departure (and I might add, an 11:30 p.m. homecoming). We had a wide
variety of experiences this day, in the vicinity of Danville and Chatham,
Virginia, a two-hour bus ride from the hotel.

The first stop was Mount Vernon United Methodist Church,
Danville, housing a gentle and lovely 1860 Boston-built Simmons and Willcox
organ, rebuilt with significant additions by George Bozeman in 1988. As this
organ was saved and relocated through the good work of the late Alan Laufman
and the Organ Clearing House, it was somehow entirely appropriate that this
recital was played by the new director of the Clearing House, John Bishop. The
program: Bach, Prelude and Fugue in C Minor (BWV 549), began quietly, very slowly, and passionately; the fugue, on the other hand, was quite quick, almost Newmanlike, on a reedy registration, building naughtily with the gradual opening of the box; Pachelbel, Aria Sebaldina (from Hexachordum Apollinis); Derek Bourgeois (b. 1941, student of Howells), Serenade, written for the procession at his own wedding, a fine, accessible work, in a fresh but not shocking harmonic idiom. The hymn, "Christ is made the sure
foundation," was sung to Westminster Abbey
style='font-style:normal'>--we got to sing in parts in our usual impressive
way, complete with descant. Langlais, Noël with Variations, Choral (from 24 Pieces for Organ or Harmonium); Lefébure-Wély, Sortie--this was so well done, it made up for the over-exposure from which this piece now suffers. He who occupies the director's chair of the Organ Clearing House is able to shape and encourage one of the greatest programs to ever come out of the OHS. Its achievements under Alan Laufman were noteworthy. We offer John Bishop thanks for showing us his musical side, and wish him the very best in guiding OCH in the years ahead.

At Sacred Heart R.C. Church, Danville, James Darling,
well-known for his many years at Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, gave an
excellent recital on a Simmons organ from 1877, rebuilt with some tonal changes
by Andover in 1980-81. The program began with the Concerto in C Major, op. 6, no. 10, by Corelli, adapted for organ by Thomas Billington; then Grave (with variations) from Voluntary in D Major (op. 6, no. 5) of Samuel Wesley. The hymn, giving us a good chance at some excellent harmonizing, used the tune Hereford by Samuel Sebastian Wesley  for the text "O thou who camest from above" by
Charles Wesley. The program next promised more Wesley, but the artist had a
change of mind and moved smartly into the 20th century with a quite flashy and
wonderful chorale-based work, Christ ist erstanden
style='font-style:normal'> by Ludwig Lenel, long associated with Muhlenberg
College in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

After a good lunch at the Knights of Columbus Hall (bar
closed!), we moved on to First Christian Church, still in Danville, which
became the scene of an unfortunate confluence of realities. OHS really tries,
with the help of always willing volunteers, to get organs into shape for our
pleasure and edification. This recalcitrant machine (built at a time when
Möller could actually build good instruments), through poor design,
including really ill-thought-out tuning and maintenance access, and long-term
neglect, in recent years due to the poverty of the congregation, defied all
attempts to bring it "online." Just to get inside the thing, lots of
heavy case pipes have to be removed, this landing one on the huge reservoir,
and leading to other contortions to actually get at the pipes that badly need
ministrations. With the complexities of running smoothly a convention of this
kind, and it does indeed run amazingly smoothly, this poor old organ and its
condition did not get sufficient attention. Baxter Jennings, longtime organist
at Sacred Heart Church, where we had just been, was the unfortunate player
assigned to play this instrument. Susanne Martin, choir director at Sacred
Heart, came along to sing the "Pie Jesu" from the Fauré Requiem, but was overwhelmed mostly by a too-loud registration, which in turn, might have been necessary if none of the softer stops had sufficient notes actually playing. I think too, that Mr. Jennings was totally terrified by the experience of not ever knowing what notes might play at any given time, and by knowing that under these almost impossible
circumstances he was playing for a church full of organists from all over the
country.

The next event took place at Chatham Presbyterian Church in
Chatham and involved a 1912 Möller. This 17-stop organ showed that in the
early 20th century some very good things could come out of Hagerstown. What a
solid and lovely instrument, and what a player is Randy Bourne. For the first
two pieces, the organ was hand pumped, with all the well-known benefits of
this: a Praeludium (WV33) of
Scheidemann, followed by the Prelude & Fugue in F Major
style='font-style:normal'>, from the "Eight Little," with supple and
sensitive playing. Bourne spoke during much of this concert, and the compelling
nature of both the playing and the chat kept the audience at full attention all
the way. One of the first things he mentioned was his use, in the Bach, of an
old edition of 1909, a product of its time, suggesting soloing out sections
using a solo Flute accompanied by strings. Would this have been taken seriously
by many organists as little as ten years ago? Some would say we are returning
to the corrupt old ways of the pre-Orgelbewegung days. Others, I with them,
might say that we have matured musically, and can now ask what is musical
rather than what do the "rules" say. Next, four gently busy Variations on "St. Catherine" written in 1999 by Robin Rokey. Bourne then played a ravishing transcription of Mélodie in E-flat Major (op. 42, no. 3) of Tchaikovsky, with the Flute solo accompanied on that rarity, "an audible Aeoline!" This was followed by another successful transcription, of a Mussorgsky piece, Fair at Sorochintzy, with images of the Cossacks
riding into a village, destroying it, and riding off--exciting stuff! The
program ended with the hymn "Love Divine, all loves excelling," sung
to Beecher. And here was a
recitalist who understands the wonder of hymn singing, and he gave us a chance
at some harmony, and accompanied rather than dominated.

J. R. Daniels, who is organist and choirmaster at Saints
Simon and Jude Church in Pittsburgh, has been around OHS conventions since
1994, in which year he was an E. Power Biggs Fellow. He gave a concert this
year at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Chatham, on a much-moved 1865 S.S. Hamill
organ of about 12 stops. Taylor and Boody did a restoration in 1992, adding a
pedalboard and a Pedal Bourdon. Here is another recitalist who understands
hymns--he supported us gently in a sweet old traditional Roman Catholic hymn,
letting us happily harmonize to our hearts' content. He then made an apt little
speech about how much louder this gentle instrument would have sounded when it
was built, to people who had so little noise and music in their lives. His
recital made me wonder whether we have matured sufficiently to accept most of
the music on this program! Daniels is, at present, researching the music of
Théodore Salomé (1834-1896). The program began with The
Canterbury March, by Harry Crane Perin
(1868-1933), not a work of much substance. This was followed by the essential
Lefébure-Wély, Choeur de Voix humaines (The Nuns'
Chorus), consisting of Flute solo with
flourishes, accompanied on strings. Next, a kind of ornamented aria on "My
hope is built," by John Behnke, born 1953. It was then Salomé time.
Daniels warned us that the next piece, Offertoire in D-flat
style='font-style:normal'>, had been referred to by John Henderson, in his A
Directory of Composers for Organ, as the worst piece of organ music ever
written. The recital ended with a more interesting work of Salomé, Grand Choeur in A, altogether a better piece than the previous offering.

After a good dinner at the Stratford Inn Conference Center
in Danville, we headed to The Church of the Epiphany. George Bozeman,
organbuilder and a regular recitalist at these conventions, played the first
half on a 1928 Skinner of 16 ranks, I thought not a very successful example of
the breed. Bozeman, as always, gave us something unusual and interesting--the Sonata Cromatica (Seconda) of Pietro Yon. I was sure that what we were handed next was not going to work, but I underestimated us. We had in our hymnals a choral score of the Yon Gesù Bambino, and led by an excellent soloist who also conducted, Robert Sutter, we did a wonderful job. What a great idea, and what an interesting recital.

After a brief stretch, the program  moved to the balcony, with its 1978 Andover organ of 38
stops, for a contrast of epic proportions. There are 12 ranks of mixtures,
given unpromising names like Cymbal, or simply "Sharp." These are a
bit uppity, but judicious registrational pruning can work wonders, and there is
much that is beautiful in this instrument. The upstairs organist was Kathleen
Scheide, and she began with  Aria: Quis mutuos amores, by F.-X. Murschhauser; the hymn "Everlasting Arms of Love" to the tune Galliard; O Lamm Gottes (BWV 656) of Bach; the Reger Prelude and Fugue in B Minor,  and then we heard from Ms. Scheide as composer in a very pleasant piece called Aria
La Romanesca. The program finished with
Scheide's own transcription of a Mozart piano duet, K. 358.

Saturday, June 23

This day began with John Farmer's fascinating history of the
much travelled Skinner (opus 248 of 1916), now comfortably and happily living
in the great Vanderbilt mansion, Biltmore, in Asheville, North Carolina, thanks
to Farmer's alertness and skilled ministrations. The following rather long
Internet address will give the story in some detail:

<http://www.biltmore.com/just_for_media/news_releases/whats_new_concert_…;
and this address will show the handsome console:

<http://www.biltmore.com/visit/biltmore_house/pipe_organ.html&gt;.
There are a few infelicities, like a "genuine forced-air organ," and
other minor oddities, but if you don't know Biltmore, or even if you do, this
is all interesting reading. My thanks to Harry Martenas for locating these
sites.

Next we boarded six buses for the longest journey of the
convention, a bit less than three hours, during which we were shown a rather
good video about the Biltmore mansion. The Asheville part of North Carolina is
wonderfully hilly, giving the bus drivers some anxious moments maneuvering the
sometimes narrow streets, including the one which brought us to Mount Zion
Missionary Baptist Church.

Presiding over Felgemaker Opus 713, 1901, two-manuals and 26
stops, was Will Headlee, always a wonderful presence at these conventions. He
spent some years of his life in Asheville, so this was something of a
homecoming. Out of respect for the organ's lineage, he began  the first movement of the Mendelssohn
A Major Sonata on original Felgemaker
sounds--distinguished and beautiful sounds they are, too. For the Andante, he
used the original strings. Next, two choral preludes by Ludwig Lenel: "Now
praise we Christ, the Holy One" and "How brightly shines the morning
star;" then, Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan
style='font-style:normal'>, Kellner; Voluntary No. 1 in D Major, Boyce. This organ really does sing. I think everyone realized that we were in the presence of royalty, an organ with
distinguished beginnings well and lovingly restored tonally and mechanically,
with some additions, by John Farmer and Company. Also, somehow, in its
simplicity, the organ is really fine visually as well. Then, "Sarabande" and "Rhythmic Trumpet" (from Baroques), Bingham; "Balm in Gilead" and "Swing Low," Utterback; Fantasy on "Roll, Jordan, Roll," Ralph Simpson (b. 1933), a really great fun piece (published by Morning Star); and the 1875 hymn, "I am thine, O Lord."

The next program took place at St. Matthias' Episcopal
Church, Asheville, and featured Carol Britt playing a one-manual organ built by
Reuben Midmer. Britt, organist and choir director at St. Augustine's Episcopal
Church in Metairie, made fine use of the single-manual instrument. The organ,
built in 1898, is original to this building. Ponder this from the program note:
"Original to the church, the Midmer organ is in a remarkable state of
preservation. Apart from maintenance and some patching to the bellows leather,
the instrument is essentially as installed 103 years ago." Was that a good
investment or what? The program: Triptych
(Prelude, Scherzo, and Fugue), Robert Powell; Grand Triumphal March, Nicholls (1877), a real two-step played with wonderful panache. To play the Partita on O Gott, du frommer Gott of Bach on an instrument with limited variety takes a bit of work. With impeccable phrasing and some careful registration planning, this was a fine and arresting performance. It made perfect sense for us to next sing "O Gott, du frommer Gott," and we did indeed, happily with some directions for harmony and unison verses.

The next move was well up the social ladder, as we visited
the Vanderbilts in their stately home, Biltmore, in Asheville. After a lovely
dinner in "The Stable" on the estate, we then proceeded to the main
house to hear the organ, played partly by the Skinner player mechanism, and
partly by Kristin Gronning Farmer. Kristin, who chaired this convention, and
whose good and thoughtful work in that capacity we benefited from daily, has
also played for OHS conventions in the past, including Boston last year. In
addition to which, she is an organ builder, working with her husband, John
Farmer, and specializing in "gilding, pipe stencilling, polychrome
painting and faux finishes," which skills she makes available not only to
the "family firm," but also to other builders. After a demonstration
of some of the resources of the instrument, she let us sample some of what is
available on the Skinner semi-automatic rolls. It was all good fun.

Sunday, June 24

After yesterday's long ride to Asheville, we spent today
staying quite close to Winston-Salem, beginning the day at the hotel with the
annual meeting of the OHS. Bill Van Pelt presided, and those in charge of other
projects and committees of the society reported on activities since the last
meeting (in Boston in 2000). There were two E. Power Biggs Fellows this year:
Ryan Celestin of Metairie, Louisiana, and Bruce Ludwick, Jr. of Keyser, West
Virginia. An election of officers was held by mail prior to this meeting, with
some ballots submitted on the day. Elected as President: Michael Barone, whose
radio program, Pipedreams, produced and disseminated by Minnesota Public Radio,
is known throughout the U.S.

On to the buses at 11, going to the workshop of J. Allen
Farmer, Organbuilders--a great barn surrounded by beautiful countryside. On
display, a two-manual and pedal mechanical-action residence organ, two stops on
each manual division and a pedal 16'. Outdoors, on a perfect day, we were
treated to a fine buffet lunch.

Next stop, Maple Springs United Methodist Church to hear
James Hammann, who is on the faculty of the University of New Orleans, is
organist of St. Francis Xavier Church, and in his spare time runs an organ
maintenance business! The organ is a 1926 Casavant, originally located in
Detroit, but moved to Winston in 1982. Voluptuous describes it well, a 3-manual
instrument with all the good (big) stuff and a sound that is broad and warm.
The program: James Houston Spencer (1895-1967), Symphonesque
style='font-style:normal'>, op. 12 of 1933, a rich work, somewhat inventive
harmonically in a way occasionally somewhat reminiscent of Sowerby, followed by
our second convention performance of "Rhythmic Trumpet" from Seth
Bingham's suite, Baroques, of
1944. This had the benefit of a wonderfully bold Trumpet, and was given a
really swaggering performance. Last, in this concert of music by composers who
lived at just about the same time, Air with Variations (
style='font-style:normal'>written for William Strickland) by Leo Sowerby
(1895-1968).

Here, we did our famous split, dividing into two groups
because of some limited seating in one of the churches. My group went first to
Ardmore United Methodist Church, which houses an organ by Fritz Noack from
1978. Although I recognized a bit of aggressiveness in the sound occasionally,
its was more than compensated for by a luminous clarity and some really lovely
stops and ensembles. This was a most interesting recital, played by William H.
Bates, professor of organ at University of South Carolina in Columbia. He chose
"When in our music" to Engelberg as his hymn, which he played very broadly and did interesting things with the accompaniment. Abruptly changing modes, he played Retrové (Estampie III) from the Robertsbridge Fragment of the early 14th century; then Fantasie sus orgue ou espinette, arr. Guillaume Costeley, mid to late 16th century; the choral prelude Der Tag, der ist so freudenreich of Buxtehude, with the cantus on a beautiful Tierce with tremulant; John Stanley, Voluntary in C: Adagio and Andante; then, Brahms, Herzlich tut mich verlangen, played sensitively on Principal sounds; and Partita on "When in our music God is glorified" by Professor Bates himself. This recital was carefully designed to match the instrument, and all was played with great musicality, technical skill, charm and as needed, wit!

The buses took us then to St. Timothy's Episcopal Church for
a recital by Rachelen Lien, from New Orleans, where she is organist and choir
director at St. Matthew United Church of Christ and Parker Memorial United
Methodist Church. Lien chaired the OHS's national convention in New Orleans in
1989. Her assignment this day was to perform on the smallest instrument heard
in the convention, a charming Erben from 1851, temporarily living in the chapel
at St. Timothy's, while its home church in South Carolina is undergoing
structural work. The organ has one manual, no pedal, 5 stops, 5 ranks, 190
pipes! An 8' Open Diapason goes down to Tenor F, a Dulciana does the same, and
both are anchored by 17 pipes of a Stopped Diapason Bass. There is a 4'
Principal and a Flute to Tenor F. There is a very tight Swell box. For some of
the pieces, the hand pump was used. The program: Adagio in e minor
style='font-style:normal'>, J.S. Bach; Allegro
style='font-style:normal'> from a Thomas Arne Concerto; Soeur Monique of François Couperin, using the Swell box for the contrasts called for in the piece; Pastorale by Charles Wesley, using first the Dulciana, and then the 4' Flute for contrast, sounds of enormous beauty and integrity; Partita on "Ah, vous dirai-je, maman," Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (1732-1795). Next, mezzo-soprano Mary Martin, violist Tony Pruett, and cellist Worth Williams collaborated with Rachelen in the Brahms Lullaby for the Christ Child, opus 91. A really special treat, followed by another, the Saint-Saëns The Swan with cellist Williams. Following this, the hymn "Built on the Rock." A fascinating program, beautifully played, ended with a good chance to sing.

The convention then moved into the main church for two more
events, and they were something of a family affair, in the broadest sense of
family. It honored people of this community and people who worked to make this
wonderful convention possible. Starting with the organ builder: this amazingly
versatile one-manual instrument is Opus 22 of 1994, by John Farmer. Through the
judicious use of common basses, space and money was saved, and divided stops
made possible accompanied solo effects. The organist who next played a recital
and then accompanied Evensong was Scott Carpenter. He is assistant organist at
this church--Kristin Farmer is director of music. The composer whose music we
heard both in the pre-service recital and in Evensong itself is Margaret
Sandresky, another treasure of this area, of whom more later. The recital: Préambule (24 Pieces), Vierne; next, an anonymous 18th-century English Cornet Voluntary, and courtesy of divided stops, we heard a beautiful accompanied Cornet, three ranks just from middle c up; next a full Trumpet divided at middle c made possible a Trumpet Voluntary of Thomas Dupuis (1733-1796); then, Nun freut euch (BWV 734) of Bach; next we heard the really lovely Celeste in Prayer in E-Flat of Guilmant. The final works on the program were two
parts of an Organ Mass by
Margaret Sandusky based on the little 15th-century waltz tune L'Homme
armé. This was a wonderful recital,
which fact the audience acknowledged fully. Scott Carpenter is a player of
great assurance, musicality, and clarity.

Next was a really glorious Evensong, sung by the splendid
unauditioned choir of St. Paul's, Winston-Salem, conducted by Barbara Beattie.
Evensong began with the Richard Strauss Solemn Entry
style='font-style:normal'>, with the Giannini Brass Quintet. Preces
and Responses were by Martin Neary, then
followed the hymn, "O blest creator, source of light," to the Haydn
tune Bromley. The Psalm was No.
19, impeccably sung to a fine S.S. Wesley chant. The canticles (Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in D) were by Sir Herbert Brewer (1865-1928). For the anthem, another lovely piece by Margaret Sandresky, The Turtle Dove. The closing hymn was "The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended," to the magnificent tune St. Clement.

After a good dinner at the Adams Mark Hotel, it was off to
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, and a joint concert by Margaret and John Mueller.
The organ is Skinner Opus 712 of 1929. Aeolian-Skinner did some revoicing work
in 1965, and in 1996-97 the Thompson-Allen firm of New Haven, Connecticut, did
a complete restoration. The St. Paul's organ has four manuals, 42 stops, 51
ranks--not huge, but quite telling in the space. The event began with Margaret
Mueller at the console as we lustily sang "For All the Saints," to Sine Nomine, complete with harmony for stanzas 5 and 6. After that, came an organ demonstration (Margaret). We were handed a two-sided, tightly-spaced sheet describing the demonstration. There were seven sections for the demonstration of the reeds, six for the Diapasons (no Prinzipals here), seven for Flutes, and three for the Strings; ah, and one
short section for the Harp and Celesta! Each of the sections dealt with
divisions separately, and ensembles and stops alone in those divisions. We then
heard March on a Theme of Handel
by Guilmant; Fantasie in C,
Franck; and finally the charming A Wreath of Carols
style='font-style:normal'> by Margaret Vardell Sandresky (b. 1921), making use
in lovely and clever ways of the Sussex Carol, Greensleeves, Lo how a
rose, and In dulci jubilo
style='font-style:normal'>. John Mueller then took over for a very fine Sonata da Chiesa for Flute and Organ assisted by flutist Julie Frye, written (1998) by North Carolina composer Dan Locklair (b. 1949). Dr. Mueller ended the program with the Allegro from the Widor Sixth. The audience essentially erupted at the end of this definitely "feel good" program, a tribute to two North Carolina composers, two well-loved North Carolina organists, and a most beautiful instrument.

Monday, June 25

The day began with a fascinating lecture by Jonathan
Ambrosino, who was just finishing a two-year term as President of the OHS.
"The Residence Organ, 'The Final Touch of Beauty for the Well-Planned
Home,'" took us back to those days of "yesteryear," the early
part of the 20th century when even radio did not exist commercially. If you
wanted music, you made it yourself. Just about everyone had a piano in the
parlor, and someone in the family who could play it. Those with wealth and
space had pipe organs.

After the lecture, a short bus ride took us to Centenary
United Methodist Church, Winston-Salem, for a concert involving Margaret
Vardell Sandresky and Dan Locklair. Centenary U.M.C. is not a small church,
surely seating at least a thousand souls. The church was begun in 1929, and
Austin installed an organ in 1931. With its usual uncanny thoroughness, the
Organ Handbook for the convention provides both the original specification and
that of today, after a number of revisions. The main redo was in 1963, not a
promising year! Right away, one notices that the Great lost its 16' Double Open
Diapason in favor of a Quintaten! Five 8' stops were whittled down to three.
The Second Open (albeit an upward extension of the 16') is gone, as is the
Doppelflute. The Great reed unit, Trumpet and Clarion, is gone. To be sure, in
the 1931 instrument the Great only went up to a 2' Principal, and that was an
extension of the 4'; now there is a IV Mixture, surely an improvement. The
Swell did not fare too badly, although it did lose its 8' Open Diapason, always
a shame, I think. It gained a 16' Contra Fagotto. I think I weep a bit for the
Choir organ, which must have had breadth and presence with an English Diapason,
Concert Flute, Flute Celeste, Dulciana and Unda Maris. These morphed into just
a Nason Flute, Dulciana and Unda Maris. It lost its Clarinet and Orchestral
Oboe in favor of a Larigot and Krummhorn. The Solo and Echo divisions are
changed somewhat in character, and possibly improved by the 1963 rebuild. In
1987, Austin made two additions of great significance: a not-too-frightening en
chamade reed in the back, and a solid 32' Bombarde in the Pedal.

The first part of the program was played by Margaret Vardell
Sandresky, who began with a work by her father, the first organist in the new
1931 building, Charles G. Vardell, Jr. (1893-1952). Appropriately, Mrs.
Sandresky registered using only stops from the 1931 organ. Skyland is a
wonderfully atmospheric work, with great soaring lines, and bits of nice glassy
effects, using also the French Horn and the Harp. Next, three works by Mrs.
Sandresky herself, beginning with a year 2000 commission from the Home Moravian
Church, a suite entitled The Good Shepherd, consisting of four chorale preludes based on Moravian Chorales; then a Wedding March written in 1982 while Mrs. Sandresky was organist of this church--somewhat British sounding, with great flourishes; and ending the first half of the program, En Chamade, written for OHS 2001. There are several movements, some with chimes, and some cleverly using the big reed in the back.

After a short break, the program resumed with Dan Locklair
playing his own music, beginning with a Fanfare for Organ
style='font-style:normal'>, written in 2000 on commission from Fourth
Presbyterian Church of Chicago. This was followed by three sections from the
Windows of Comfort (Organbook 2),
commissioned in 1996 by First Presbyterian Church, Topeka, Kansas, and inspired
by that church's Tiffany windows. Then, Ayre for the Dance and Jubilo
(A Prelude for Organ), a 1998 commission
from the AGO for the 2001 regional competitions for young organists. Finally,
we had a chance to sing, and a good chance indeed with the Parry tune to
"O praise ye the Lord!"

We next did a rather free-form triple split. We all drove to
the great estate that Tobacco built, Reynolda House in Winston-Salem, spacious
and elegant. The room from which to hear the organ is not huge, hence the split
with assigned times for each group for hearing the recital, for eating lunch in
the various restaurants on the estate, and for simply walking around the
beautiful grounds. It did not work out exactly as planned, because it took
rather a time to check out the various restaurants and to get into fairly long
lines and to wait for service.

After this visit, the buses took us back to the hotel for a
rest period. Then, we rode to Greensboro for dinner at First Presbyterian
Church, and then to Christ United Methodist Church, the scene of which could
have been a convention planner's nightmare, but turned out more than o.k. We
were to have heard Lenora McCroskey. Ms. McCroskey suffered an injury to her
arm some days before she was to play, and realized it would not be possible to
meet the commitment. Her excellent former pupil Stewart Wayne Foster was,
fortunately, available to play. He is artist in residence and associate
style="mso-spacerun: yes">  organist of First (Scots) Presbyterian
Church and is founder/musical director of the Orchestra of St. Clare,
Charleston's first full-scale Baroque orchestra. Mr. Foster has been
coordinating the pipe organ component of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival since
1999.

We began with a hymn, "O Gladsome Light," to the
tune Cantique de Simeon, a Louis
Bourgeois tune harmonized by Claude Goudimel. The notes on the instrument
indicate that this was one of the organs completed in the last year of Charles
Fisk's life, 1982, and mentioned that it is  considered a sister organ to the one at Downtown United
Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New York. Mr. Foster is a superb player, possessing a very easy sort of grace, his movements sure and musically based. With very little notice, he was able to put together a most interesting program. He also spoke very clearly and well, with comments carefully chosen and useful. Nicholas Bruhns, Praeludium in e minor; Bach, Toccata in d minor, BWV 913 (written with harpsichord in mind); Clérambault, Suite on the Second Tone; a setting of "Amazing Grace" by Robert Hebble, who was one of Mr. Foster's teachers; Toccata on "Old Hundredth" by Jack Jones (another of Mr. Foster's teachers). The recital ended with the Final from the Vierne Third Symphony, brilliantly played. By this point, I had wondered if Mr. Foster, given the late notice about playing, had actually had a chance to go out in the room and listen to the instrument with his registrations. Some judicious pruning could have made the big moments more bearable, something that was very much wanted in the Vierne, which was so splendidly done, but was also painfully loud.

Tuesday, June 26

The day began with a lecture by Peter Cameron entitled,
"George Jardine and Son, New York Organbuilders--An Era of Spectacular
Organs." Cameron has had a long career in organ maintenance, repair, and
restoration, and from 1977 to 1994 served as maintenance coordinator for the
Andover Organ Company. His lecture was a wonderful appreciation of a once great
company, from one who has had extensive hands-on personal experience with their
output. A great story, well told.

After the lecture, we did our three-way split to accommodate
one very small but beautiful venue in Historic Bethabara within Winston-Salem,
the "Saal" of the 1771 "Gemeinhaus," the meeting room in
which services were held in the Congregation House. While one part of the group
was hearing the recital, the other two parts were visiting the historical exhibits and enjoying the beautiful grounds. The little three-stop, single-manual organ in the "Saal" is by Charles McManis, built in 1971 after a 1772 organ by North Carolina builder Joseph Bultischek, an instrument that perished in a fire in 1942. Sadly and strangely, no one knows what the specification of that organ was, so Charles McManis, fortified with some knowledge of other very small organs used by the Moravians, settled on an 8' Gedact, 4' Principal, and 2' Octave.

Michael Rowland is director of music at Ardmore United
Methodist Church, and staff accompanist at Salem College. He played an
18th-century program beginning with Four Preludes of the English Moravian,
Christian Latrobe (1758-1836), followed by three Bach chorale preludes: Erbarm dich mein (BWV 721), Gelobet seist du (BWV 697), and Allein Gott (BWV 717). We then sang Allein Gott, two stanzas with harmony provided--sheer joy in that lovely place. Mr. Rowland was then joined by Lauren Kossler, a fine violinist, and together they played a suite for violin and keyboard by John Stanley. Thanks to them both for a perfect program for a most attractive and historic place.

Andrew Unsworth played an 18-stop Hook and Hastings
instrument of 1924, with no stop over 4', in a quite dead acoustic at Calvary
Moravian Church in Winston-Salem. Both Unsworth and the organ conquered all,
aided, no doubt, at times by the 73-note chests and attendant super coupler.
Currently organist and choirmaster at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Durham, he holds a Ph.D. in performance practice from Duke. The program began
with two pieces by Henry Dunham (1853-1929), who taught organ at New England
Conservatory for 52 years: from the First Sonata in G Minor
style='font-style:normal'>, op. 10 (from 1882), an Allegro moderato, followed
by Impromptu from a set of 12
pieces of 1912, op. 24; next, "Vision," Rheinberger, a lovely piece
requiring some dexterity at registration changes, which were very deftly
handled. The last of the organ pieces was the War March of the
Priests, Mendelssohn, played with great
flair and a fat and powerful registration--very satisfying indeed. Unsworth
proved himself to also be a very fine hymn player, giving really good support,
and doing clever bits of descanting, with a rather nice reharmonization of the
last verse of the hymn Redeemer of Israel, to a tune by Freeman Lewis.

Lunch was served at Centenary United Methodist Church,
Winston-Salem, following which we bused to Old Salem where we again broke into
three groups in order to accommodate the limited capacity of the "Saal" in the Single Brothers' House. While one group was at the recital, others were touring Old Salem. In the "Saal," Lois Regestein played her excellent recital three times in order to fit everyone in. The organ, by David Tannenberg, 1798, is gentle and sweet, and comprises five stops. The console is slightly detached and reversed. The instrument was rebuilt by Charles McManis in the mid-60s. The program: Organ Obbligatos to an Anthem, by Johann Ludwig Freydt (1748-1807); Fuga, by Johann Gottfried Gebhard (1755-?); Prelude No. 2 in C Minor, Prelude No. 6 in E-flat, by Christian Latrobe; Nun rühen alle Walder, by Ernst Immanuel Erbe (1854-1927), then another "Chorale Verse" based on the same tune, by Carl Anton Van Vleck; Voluntary IV in G, op. 7, by John Stanley; and then the hymn Morning Star, written in 1836 by Francis Florentine
Hagen (1815-1870). James Boehringer, former director of the Moravian Music
Foundation, and Kevin Brown, present administrator of the foundation, were both
acknowledged as having provided help in organizing the program.

We next walked to Home Moravian Church, where Paula Locklair
presented a most interesting slide-talk about the work of David Tannenberg and
his relationship with the Moravians in North Carolina. Mrs. Locklair has worked
with the various collections at Old Salem since 1975, and has been director of
collections since 1987, and is married to composer Dan Locklair. After her
talk, she introduced John Boody of the firm of Taylor & Boody, who gave a
slide-talk presentation about the company's project for restoring the 1799
Tannenberg organ for the Home Moravian Church. This is the oldest American-made
two-manual instrument extant. (For information on the project:
<www.taylorandboody.com&gt;.)

We then moved upstairs to the church, where the Piedmont
Chamber Singers, directed by James Allbritten, and accompanied by David
Pulliam, led us in a Singstunde, which is just what it sounds like--a wonderful
hour of singing, much of it done by us, with some choral works sung by the
Chamber Singers. We sang hymns that would be known to a Moravian congregation,
but not necessarily to us, and thus learned some new and quite interesting
hymns.

OHS planners always try to find occasional experiences other
than organs and organ music, and tonight was the night. We bused quite a long
way out of town to the Pollirosa Restaurant, obviously a very popular spot.
There was a long line and the place was really packed, but they were ready for
our group, and we had some wonderful barbecue and lots of other good things,
all accompanied by bluegrass music, live, on stage. There were also hayrides
available, but I did not notice any of our group indulging. We had six buses,
and they left for the hotel at intervals, so you could leave when you had had
your fill of food--and possibly of bluegrass. A lot of our gang really got into
it, singing and dancing up a storm, and me without my camera!

Wednesday, June 27

This penultimate full day of the convention featured an
array of various instruments. Here is the pipe count for the day: 362, 363,
951, 4926, 1038, and finally 6663. The day began with an almost two-hour bus
ride to New Hope Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill, to hear Steve Barrell play
the 1987 one-manual organ by John Brombaugh. The program: Pieter Cornet (c.
1560-c. 1630), Four Versets on "Regina Caeli," featuring various combinations of sound, some of the fuller
bits somewhat on the harsh side, some individual voices quite beautiful.
Divided stops make possible solo and accompaniment, used to good effect. Then,
Johann Pachelbel (from Hexachordum Apollinis
style='font-style:normal'>, 1699), Aria Prima with Six Variations, the second variation on a beautiful Flute with tremulant. For something entirely different, we sang the hymn "Were you there," with a harmony of Barrell's own devising, based on the music of Fats Waller.

A very short bus ride brought us to Hillsborough and St.
Matthew's Episcopal Church for a recital by Grant Hellmers, an Australian by
birth, who has been at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Richmond for 20 years,
and was assistant for the four years before that. Before his time in Richmond,
he held church positions in Australia and in Vienna. The two-manual Hook &
Hastings stock model organ dates from 1883. The program: Humoresque (L'organo
primitivo), Toccatina for Flutes, Pietro
Yon; the beautiful Schübler Wer nur den lieben Gott lasst walten, Bach, after which we sang the two stanzas given for the chorale, one in harmony, and the second in unison with a very nice reharmonization. The power of even half of an OHS convention was just too overwhelming (we were split in two groups at this point)--every stop was indeed on! Following the hymn, three charming pieces by Leopold Mozart, from Der Morgen und der Abend (Morning and Evening); then, "Lied" (from 24 Pieces in Free Style), Vierne, with the lovely Open Diapason for the melody; Percy Whitlock, Divertimento (No. 2 from Four
Extemporisations); and finally, Allegro
(Number 6 of Six Short Preludes and Postludes, Set 2, op. 105) of C. V. Stanford. Well conceived and beautifully played was this program, and the little stock organ really is
lovely.

Both New Hope Presbyterian and St. Matthew's Episcopal
provided lunch for their half of the convention party, after which we gathered
at the Chapel of Peace College in Raleigh, where Rosalind Mohnsen played her
16th OHS convention recital. The organ is a transplant, a gift to the college
given by Christ Church, Raleigh. I don't know how many intact organs by
Pomplitz & Company are extant. Here at Peace College, this 17-stop Pomplitz
found an excellent home, and it and the college were presented with an OHS
Plaque in recognition of this. It was accepted by the president of the college,
who said a bit about how much she enjoys this instrument. With only 17 stops,
this two-manual organ nonetheless has both a 16' Double Open and a Bourdon, and
is quite robust in other ways as well. The program began with March from Ten
Progressive Pedal Studies of George
Whitefield Chadwick; then, Gavotte Pastorale by Frederick N. Shackley (1868-1937); Prelude
in E-flat Minor (op. 66-1911), Vincent
d'Indy (1851-1931); Prelude and Fugue in B Major
style='font-style:normal'> (op. 99), Camille Saint-Saëns; Pastorale in D Major, op. 13, William Wolstenholme (1865-1931); and finally an Allegro Moderato in D by Henry Smart (1813-1879). The recital came to a rousing close with the hymn "The Day of Resurrection" in glorious harmony to Henry Smart's well-known tune Lancashire
style='font-style:normal'>.

A bus ride brought us to the beautiful campus of Duke
University, with a chapel boasting three remarkable organs, upon each of which
we heard what could only be described as a perfect recital, tailored to match
the qualities of the instrument. We began at the west end of the chapel with
the famous four-manual Flentrop of 1976, with Mark Brombaugh offering a recital
of Buxtehude, Scheidemann, de Grigny, and a partita by James Woodman,
commissioned by Brombaugh in honor of his father. Woodman's Partita on
"Spanish Hymn" was written in
1999 and comprises seven sections: Prelude, Chorale, Bicinium, Trio, Aria,
Fughetta, and Canon. The program ended with the hymn "Spanish Hymn,"
complete with three harmony verses and even a bit of a descant! The Flentrop
organ had a robust sound in the louder works and permeates the building wonderfully. The chapel's walls have been treated with several coats of sealant with excellent results. Equally impressive were the clarity and color of the quieter sounds.

The next event generated something akin to hostility. I
suppose the behavior of a few of our colleagues might be compared to the
reactions of some who demonstrated their opprobrium at the first performance of
Rite of Spring. Well, in truth, no
tomatoes were thrown on this occasion, but it saddens me to report that a
number of people left the building, saying things like "I don't have to
listen to this." Some even said things like: "I listened to the damn
Flentrop, but this is too much!" Meantone is not nearly as sinister as it
sounds! I heard Margaret Irwin-Brandon at OHS Boston the previous summer, where
she had the assignment of playing the Charles Fisk dual-temperament instrument
at Wellesley College. The anti-anything-different folks were in evidence there,
too. As at Wellesley, she chose a program absolutely perfect for the instrument
at hand: Frescobaldi, Toccata Sesta, Bk. II, per l'organo sopra i pedali, e senza; Canzona Quarta; Toccata Quinta, Bk. II, sopra i pedali per l'organo, e senza. Then we sang "Savior of the nations, come" (Nun komm der Heiden Heiland), five harmony stanzas in our hymnlet, which means we all sang in meantone without any permanent injury, with the exception of stanza 3, which got switched amazingly into a triple meter, which we all managed quite well. Then Canzona II of Froberger, followed by Ballo della Battaglia of Bernardo Storace. Now, if anyone was in doubt about the personality of meantone tuning, the Frescobaldi works left no doubt. There are intervals that jar our "well"-conditioned brains and ears, and I found myself, as at Wellesley, looking straight up at the organ and listening with as much attention as I could muster--this contemplation coupled with a totally relaxed attitude. This is edgy, this is somewhat unsettling, but I can get used to it, and find these sounds more of a condiment than a threat. The very gentle beauty of this Brombaugh organ at Duke beguiled me into complete acceptance, and pleasure at having the opportunity to hear something from the history of our instrument. The Froberger was wonderfully gentle and sweet, and then the Storace was, well, a battle, with the little Regal on the Brustwerk doing yeoman service!

The journal of the Organ Historical Society is called The
Tracker, and back in the very early days, this was the perfect name.
Conventions included visits to, if not totally exclusively, almost exclusively
mechanical-action instruments. The broadening happened gradually, and now
convention goers visit historic E. M. Skinner organs, on which are often
conferred OHS plaques in honor of their preservation and maintenance. We have
often even visited new organs of note, no matter what mechanism makes the pipe
speak, e.g., the new Létourneau instrument at the first recital of this
convention! Welcome, I think, to the real world, with a broader view of real
excellence. I have not, and I know others who are driving the work of OHS have
not, abandoned a belief in the great virtues and advantages of tracker action.
This does not prevent me from thrilling at the sound of the Wanamaker Organ,
for example. The full circle we have made was brought into full view by all the
buzz and almost palpable anticipation of the next event, a recital on the
Aeolian organ in the east end of the chapel, an organ so reviled in times past
that there was a powerful movement to junk it. It makes the heart glad to know
that the OHS had a role in the campaign to save it, so there was some reveling
in all of this as we settled down to hear Ken Cowan give a convincing
demonstration of this instrument: Allegro vivace from the Widor 5th; Ave
Maria of Marco Enrico Bossi (1861-1925) demonstrating the ravishing strings of the instrument; Roulade, Seth Bingham; Overture to The Flying Dutchman, Wagner; the hymn "In our day of thanksgiving one Psalm let us offer," to the glorious tune St. Catherine's Court, with harmony. (Let it be here stated that Ken Cowan does know how to accompany a hymn. I wrote in my book: "What an accompaniment!!") Words won't do in describing Cowan's simply stunning performance of a perfect piece for right where we were, the Liszt Ad nos, ad salutarem undam.

Thursday, June 28

The last day of the convention began with Rachelen Lien from
New Orleans, a regular performer at OHS conventions, giving a preview of a
January 2002 mini-convention entitled "A South Louisiana Organ
Odyssey." This event, to be held January 3-5, was to include tours of
plantations, monasteries, and convents, as well as the famous French Quarter.

A 45-minute bus ride brought us to the First Presbyterian
Church of Lexington, for a recital by Edward Zimmermann, a native of North
Carolina, now teaching at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. The organ, Opus
499 of Geo. S. Hutchings (1900), was relocated to this church through the Organ
Clearing House and members of the staff of Andover Organs, which company
rebuilt and enlarged the instrument in 1994. The program consisted entirely of
works by Otto Dienel (1839-1905), beginning with a chorale prelude on Lobe
den Herren, for which Zimmermann used only
original Hutchings stops; we then sang just one stanza of the chorale. This
two-manual instrument of 23 stops and 28 ranks is very fine. There followed
three more chorale preludes: Komm, O komm, du Geist des Lebens; Mach
dich, mein Geist, bereit; and Wer
nur den lieben Gott lasst walten. The
program ended with a three-movement Grand Sonata No. 3 in F Major, op. 18, on the chorale Wie gross ist des Allmaecht'gen Guete. At some of the convention recitals, we are joined by varying numbers of members of the
congregation, which suggests the good news that there is interest in the organ.
From this church, there were many congregants, and I am sure they had their
interest and pride in the instrument strengthened.

After lunch in Winston-Salem, we moved on to another
surprisingly effective organ, speaking out of a very small rectangular hole
high on the east wall, looking for all the world like a large
style="mso-spacerun: yes">   speaker enclosure. No date is
given for this Kilgen unit organ of 11 stops and 13 ranks. The church was built
in the early 1930s by a Presbyterian congregation, and the organ would seem to
be of the same period. In 1964, the congregation of St. James A.M.E. Church
bought the building. The organ was last played publicly 30 years ago. The last
time it was played at all was 20 years ago. At some point, before the organ
ceased to be used, some tonal changes were made under the direction of John
Mueller, which now, at this time of our organic thinking in the 21st century,
will either bring cheers or jeers. The Great 8' Open was replaced by a Mixtuur
III. The 8' Clarabella became a Gedeckt. The Dulciana became a 4' Octaaf. On the
Swell, the Vox Humana became a 2' Vlakfluit. When members of the convention
committee went to inspect this instrument, it was not playing at all--there was
no longer electricity to the blower. John Farmer and a crew, along with a
licensed electrician, got it all cooking again. There were a few members of the
congregation around for the recital, and I hope they might be persuaded to make
some use of the instrument, now that it can be played again. Those there seemed
impressed. Here we were treated to a concert by bass-baritone John Williams and
organist Max Smith. The program: Handel, Thanks be to Thee
style='font-style:normal'>; Mendelssohn (Elijah
style='font-style:normal'>), Lord God of Abraham (preceded by the recitative);
Margaret Vardell Sandresky, O God, my heart is fixed on thee
style='font-style:normal'> (Psalm 108); for organ alone: Adagio from Widor Symphony No. 6; "I Stood on the River of Jordan," arr. Harry Burleigh; "Let Us Break Bread Together"; provided with full harmony, we happily sang "Fairest Lord Jesus" to the tune Crusaders' Hymn.

A 45-minute bus ride brought us to the third and last
"stately home" of the convention, the Chinqua-Penn Plantation,
devised and built by Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Jefferson Penn. A Skinner organ,
Opus 565, was installed in 1926. The pipes are in the basement, speaking out
into the great living room through large grates. For this visit, we were
divided in two groups to avoid crowding in the room where the organ resides.
While one group was walking the extensive and interesting grounds, the other
was listening to a recital, well played and chosen for the organ and venue, by
Mary Gifford, who is director of music at St. Leonard Catholic Church in
Berwyn, Illinois. Her program was perhaps a reproduction of at least the spirit
if not the specifics of what might have been heard by the residents of this home. There were four charming Edward MacDowell piano works arranged by Ms. Gifford: Hunting Song, An Old Love Story, To a Humming Bird, and the inevitable To a Wild Rose; next A Southland Song by William Lester, an English organist who settled in Chicago in the early part of the 20th century, and was for some years a reviewer for The Diapason; then we attempted to sing "When Mother Played the Organ," by George B. McConnell (text by Dick Sanford) and did not do
too badly at all. The perfect closer was the Mendelssohn War March of
the Priests arranged by Theodore Dubois.

After dinner at the plantation (one could get used to that),
we hopped on the bus for a one-hour relaxing trip to Greensboro, and West
Market Street United Methodist Church, where Peter Sykes played the final
recital of the convention. Organist at First Church in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, Sykes teaches organ, harpsichord, and chamber music at the Longy
School, and serves on the faculty of the extension division of New England
Conservatory. The organ at West Market Street is by Dobson in collaboration
with Manuel Rosales. Quoting from the Organ Handbook: "In the final
equation, Dobson designed and constructed the organ; Rosales provided basic
scaling with input from Dobson; and both companies shared equally in the
voicing and tuning process." Key action is mechanical, stop action,
electric. Some Pedal ranks are on electric action. There are three manuals and
39 stops, the third manual being a small Solo Organ, with an Harmonic Flute, a
5-rank Tenor G Cornet, an 8' Trumpet and an 8' Clarinet. The program:
Mendelssohn, Sonata No. 3 in A Major; a five-movement "suite" by
James Woodman, All Creatures of Our God and King: Sister Moon, Brother Sun, Mother Earth, All of Tender Heart, and Alleluia; the tune Lasst uns erfreuen appears here and there. Then, Tocccata in F (Bux 137); Fantasia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 537, Bach; three "Tonstücke," op. 22 of Niels Gade; and to close, Duruflé Prélude, Adagio, et Choral varié on Veni Creator. The last hymn to be sung at this convention followed, a rather angular but ultimately attractive and singable tune by Derek Williams (b. 1945) to the text, "Give us the wings of faith." The Dobson/Rosales instrument, though not large, provided plenty of variety and color for such a varied program. There were, for me where I was sitting, a very few overpoweringly loud and harsh moments, and I thought it had to do with the Great Reeds, 16, 8 & 4, but others will have felt differently, I am sure. The instrument is surely a great success, and Mr. Sykes' performance was superb. The buses soon departed for the hotel, and one last look at the exhibits and the convivial bar  and it was all over for another year.

This was another wonderful OHS convention! Readers please
note: the 2002 OHS national convention will take place June 25-July 1 in
Chicago, Illinois. For information: 804/353-9228;

<www.organsociety.org&gt;.

Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, July 13–18, 2008

Frank Rippl is a graduate of Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Miriam Clapp Duncan and Wolfgang Rübsam. He is co-founder of the Appleton Boychoir, coordinator of the Lunchtime Organ Recital Series in the Appleton, Wisconsin area, and has been organist/choirmaster at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Appleton since 1971.

On the day before I was to leave for the Organ Historical Society’s 53rd National Convention, I was eating a sandwich and reading the paper. I never read my horoscope, but for some reason I happened to glance at mine (Cancer) and was startled to read: “You’re being taken to beautiful places where there is great attention to detail and where you are enveloped in someone else’s grand vision. Sit back and enjoy the unfolding spectacle.” That got my attention. I had been to Seattle many times before and knew many of the instruments we were to hear, but OHS conventions always put a different spin on things and shine a spotlight on the instruments themselves. I couldn’t wait to experience “someone else’s grand vision” of those instruments and the buildings in which they stand, and, of course, the many outstanding players and builders in the Pacific Northwest. It is, as our handbook stated: “A Young Yet Vibrant History.” Each registrant had received the OHS Seattle 2008 Organ Atlas in the mail before we left on our respective journeys to the West Coast: 174 lavishly illustrated and painstakingly researched pages on the venues and instruments we would visit. The team that put this colorful document together is to be congratulated. So, thus armed, we were ready and eager to get started.

Sunday, July 13
We began with some pre-convention activities on Sunday night. The weather was perfect: a clear sky and temperatures in the low 70s as our buses climbed through the Capitol Hill neighborhood to St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral overlooking Puget Sound. St. Mark’s was to have been a grand Gothic structure, but the stock market crash of the late 1920s brought those dreams to a halt. They were left with what is now lovingly called “The Holy Box.” But it is still grand in its own way and with great acoustics.
Once inside, convention chair David Dahl welcomed us, calling it “a gathering of the family.” There were 310 of us greeting old friends and meeting new ones from all over the world with a common interest: love of the organ.

We came this night, of course, to hear the landmark 4-m 1965 Flentrop organ, with its spectacular and breathtaking 32′ copper façade, in a concert by Thomas Joyce, the assistant organist at St. Mark’s, followed by Compline. Joyce played Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky (1870–1937) as transcribed by Keith Johns. He managed to make this very romantic score work quite well on this beautiful mid-20th century organ with all its neo-baroque accents. My favorite was “Bydlo,” the ever-nearing ox cart thundering past us with its great weight, and then disappearing over the hill; the snarling reeds were very effective. The humor in “The Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks” was most engaging. The organ sparkled as tiny beaks struggled to break through their encasing shells. The majesty of “The Great Gate of Kiev” brought the piece to an end. The sweeping acoustics of this great church and the underpinning of the mighty and blazing reeds and the 32′ stops lifted us from from our pews. It was a brilliant performance.
There was a 40-minute intermission of sorts between concert and Compline. Halfway through this interval, David Dahl invited us to enter into a spirit of silence prior to the beautiful and famous Compline service, sung each Sunday evening since 1955 at St. Mark’s by a volunteer choir of about fifteen men. It usually attracts anywhere from 500–1000 young people who stretch out on the floor or the pews, some bringing bedrolls. They absorb the simple beauty of the chants and the readings. It is broadcast live over KING-FM radio, and can be heard worldwide via the Internet.
We became silent as the hundreds of young people joined us. The sun set, the lights dimmed, candles were lit. There were no “praise” bands, no guitars, no drums. The choir entered wearing black cassocks and long white surplices. They stood in the back of the church in a corner. They were led by Peter Hallock, Canon Precentor Emeritus, who founded the choir and is composer of much of the music they sing. The chanting was elegant and refined but never precious. The tuning in the homophonic sections was perfect. The beautiful anthem was Canon Hallock’s If We Could Shut the Gate, scored for male voices, violin, and organ. It was a tranquil and quietly spiritual end to the first day.

Monday, July 14
Our hotel was the Holiday Inn at the airport, standing in a cluster of airport hotels, including one called “The Clarion Hotel.” My room had a great view of Mount Rainier rising majestically over the “Clarion.” We had a great rate of $82.00 per night, which included a lavish breakfast. Trouble was, we always had an 8:00 a.m. departure. So, if we wished to dine in what was a rather small dining area, we had to be down there by 6:00!

Monday morning took us into downtown Seattle to Benaroya Concert Hall to hear Carole Terry demonstrate the large 3-m concert hall organ by C. B. Fisk. The simple façade of this organ includes some of the open wood pipes of the 32′ Prestant. I’m not normally a big fan of wooden façade pipes, but these blended well with the browns and tans of the Benaroya complex; also in the 32′ department: Untersatz 32′, Tuba Profunda 32′, and Grosse Quinte 102⁄3′. The room is notorious for its poor bass response and generally dry acoustic, so all that 32′ tone proved to be necessary to fill out the bottom of the range.
David Dahl introduced Ms. Terry as “Seattle’s First Lady of the Organ.” She began her program with Dahl’s fine Fanfare Introduction: The National Anthem, which we then sang. She continued with three chorale preludes by Bach, putting various solo voices on display: the reeds, the cornet, and the flutes. Next was William Bolcom’s Sweet Hour of Prayer, in which we heard the Fisk’s strings and foundation stops. Then three pieces from François Couperin’s Messe pour les Convents: Plein Jeu, Premier Couplet du Gloria; Duo sur les Tierces, Troisième Couplet; and Chromorne sur la Taille, Cinquième Couplet, which showed that this versatile organ can speak French quite well. Sowerby’s beautiful Air with Variations showed off the Swell strings, the Solo Clarinet, and later the Flauto Mirabilis. These were full-throated and wonderful pipes! Carole Terry’s last piece was the opening Allegro Vivace from Widor’s Symphonie No. 5. This heavily land-mined piece caused her to stumble slightly a few times, but she managed to bring it off. Her melodic lines were nicely delineated. She chose her literature and registrations well. None of us could come away from this recital complaining that we didn’t hear a fine demonstration of this important instrument—part of a new generation of American concert hall organs.

We then crossed Lake Washington on the Pontoon Bridge and climbed quite high above Puget Sound through well-manicured properties to Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Edmonds, Washington, to hear the church’s 1887 Geo. Kilgen & Son organ, the only surviving 3-m Kilgen tracker. Christopher Marks, assistant professor of organ at the University of Nebraska, was our soloist. Holy Rosary is a modern church built in the round, with the organ standing to the right of the altar. The organ came from the First Baptist Church in Los Angeles, and was relocated to Holy Rosary in 1980 via the Organ Clearing House.
Marks opened with a toccata from Première Suite pour Grand-Orgue (1900) by Felix Borowski (1872–1956, a son of Polish immigrants), which began on the Swell with shades closed, and built to a fortissimo. Another piece by Borowski followed: Allegretto-Allegro leggiero from his Third Sonata (1924), which demonstrated some of the soft sounds of this lovely organ. Two andantes by American-trained organist George F. Bristow (1829–1898) from his Six Pieces for the Organ (1883) were followed by a hymn by Thomas Hastings: “Hail to the Brightness of Zion’s Glad Morning” to the tune Wesley by Lowell Mason. He closed with four selections from Seth Bingham’s Seven Preludes or Postludes on Lowell Mason Hymns (1945), which sounded just dandy on this organ. He played Nos. 1, 2, 4, & 5; the first was based on the hymn we had just sung. I especially liked #4: “Watchman, Tell Us of the Night.” He used the reeds to great effect. I recommend these pieces! Marks, a fine player, gave us a great OHS recital with well-chosen literature to demonstrate the many lovely sounds of this organ.
Our fleet of buses took us to the attractive Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynnwood, Washington, where we were served a tasty box lunch. At 1:00, the tireless convention chairman David Dahl gave a fascinating address: “Tracker Organbuilding in the Pacific Northwest.” He traced the arrival of American tracker organs from the East Coast in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the mid-20th century, European tracker organs were brought in. The famous Flentrop at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle is a good example. There were others, too: St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina has a Metzler from 1971. But late in the 20th century, the Pacific Northwest began to get its own voice from builders such as John Brombaugh, Paul Fritts, and Martin Pasi.

We would hear many fine instruments by these gentlemen and others. In fact, one of them stood to Dahl’s right: Martin Pasi’s beautiful Opus 4 from 1995. This 2-m, 30-stop, mechanical action organ is in a freestanding black walnut case, with eight Italianate arches serving to frame the façade pipes. It was demonstrated by Julia Brown, who was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and received her graduate-level training in organ at Northwestern University studying with Wolfgang Rübsam. She opened with a jolly Noël by Jean-Francois Dandrieu, then two fantasias by Louis Couperin. A charming chorale prelude by Scheidemann was then played on the clear 4′ flutes. Next was a beautiful chorale prelude on Wie schön leuchet der Morgenstern by Niels Gade (1817–1890), leading into the hymn by the same name, which she and the organ led with great ease and grace. Another Noël followed, this one by José Jesus Estrada (1817–1890): Noel en estilo frances del siglo XVIII, which demonstrated more of this wonderful organ’s stops including the Zimbelstern. Brown closed her recital with Buxtehude’s Praeludium in F, BuxWV, in which we heard the fine influence of Professor Rübsam. This was another outstanding recital.
Our buses took us back on the road for a visit to Blessed Sacrament Church in Seattle. The huge building, with gorgeous gardens and a school across the street, loomed large in the neighborhood. The organ stood in the left transept. It came from St. Dominic’s Roman Catholic Church in San Francisco, and was installed in Blessed Sacrament in 2005. The organ began life as an instrument by Henry Erben for a church in Nyack, New York, and was rebuilt by Francis J. N. Tallman (1860–1950), who essentially made it a new instrument. It was rebuilt again in 1914 by Michael A. Clark, and then moved to San Francisco. St. Dominic’s decided after remodeling that the organ no longer met their needs, so it ended up at Blessed Sacrament.
We had arrived early, so Scott Huntington gave us an impromptu introduction to the history of this fascinating instrument as only he can. That, plus the first-rate account of this organ written in the convention atlas by Stephen Pinel, provided us with unusually thorough preparation for the concert.
Our performer was OHS favorite George Bozeman. He began his demonstration of this 2-m, 15-stop organ with
C. P. E. Bach’s Sonate in G Minor, Wq 70/6, perfectly suited to this fine organ. The hymn was “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling” (tune Beecher). He then played his own transcription of Four Sketches, op. 15, by Amy Beach (1867–1944), quite intoxicating and evocative: “In Autumn,” “Phantoms,” “Dreaming,” and “Fire-flies.” George, if you haven’t published these pieces, please do! The music and your performance were both great!

Our next stop was a happy return to St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral back on Capitol Hill. We had time to peruse the fine cathedral shop, where we were given a 10% discount. We also had a cocktail party with delicious snacks on the cathedral grounds, followed by a fine Bastille Day French meal in Bloedel Hall. We took turns entering the beautiful Thomsen Chapel, the only part of the cathedral that was finished in Gothic style (one can only imagine what the whole building would have looked like had it been finished), which now contains a jewel of an organ by Paul Fritts & Co., Opus 22, 2003. This 2-m and pedal, 18-stop organ sits in the west balcony and fills the room with its beauty. Thomas Joyce, assistant organist at the cathedral, played brief demonstrations for us. He is a charming young man with a great future.
But the major event of the evening was in the cathedral itself: a brilliant concert by J. Melvin Butler (who, I’m told, is also a superb violist!), canon organist and choirmaster of St. Mark’s. He opened with a dazzling performance of Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in G Minor, BWV 535. Mel Butler’s talented fingers and toes and the marvelous clarity of the Flentrop organ made the music sing. Two selections from Bach’s Leipzig Chorales followed: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 661, in which we heard the solo line on a small cornet with a gentle tremolo; and O Lamm Gottes unschuldig, BWV 656. In the middle section, the upperwork glimmered like light glancing off faceted gemstones. The majestic finale (with the cantus firmus in the pedal) was pure muscularity. The first half of the program ended with Buxtehude’s chorale fantasia on Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g’mein, BuxWV 210. It was first-rate playing by one of Seattle’s best organists on an organ that never fails to thrill.
The second half began with Fanfare for Organ by Richard Proulx, which ran a good circuit through the many trumpet stops, vertical and horizontal. It was followed by In Quiet Joy from a composer new to me: Mark Winges, b. 1951. Lovely flutes and deep-water pedal 16′ stops supported the occasional soft solo reed, then turned to quiet strings briefly, and went on as before. The strings returned supporting a solo flute. It is an exquisite piece. The hymn “When in our music God is glorified,” sung to the tune Kaytlyn by Joseph Downing (1982), was followed by Canon Butler’s Fantasy on “Kaytlyn,” a fine piece with moments of quiet and introspection, ending gently with two rings from a chime.
Butler rounded off his program with two pieces by the great 20th-century American organist and composer Leo Sowerby: Arioso and Toccata. Arioso, with its plaintive call from a quiet reed stop, gave us a sense of serenity tinged with longing. It is a masterpiece, and Butler brought out each poignant nuance. By way of contrast, Sowerby’s fiery Toccata drew the evening and first full day to a rousing and blazing close. Butler’s fleet fingers sent the notes flitting from pillar to pillar in this great “Holy Box.” We cheered!

Tuesday, June 15
Tuesday morning found us high atop our hotel in a circular ballroom with a splendid vista of Mt. Rainier. We had come to hear a loving tribute by Mark Brombaugh to his brother John, a seminal figure in American organ building. The lecture was entitled “Singing Pipes: The Artistic Legacy of Organbuilder John Brombaugh.” Mark explained how John’s early training with Fritz Noack, Charles Fisk and Rudolph von Beckerath influenced him. He then proceeded to trace John Brombaugh’s own ideas of voicing: the vocale style of sound—making pipes sing in a beautiful vocal manner. He went through each of John’s instruments, giving well-thought-out descriptions of each. I was especially interested in his Opus 33, which stands four blocks from my house, on the campus of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. It was also fascinating to hear the list of men who had worked with John over the years and who have now gone on to be fine organ builders in their own right. The list reads like a who’s who of American organ building, and includes Fritts, Taylor & Boody, Pasi, Richards & Fowkes. Not bad! It was a most entertaining and informative summing up of a great career.

Our first concert of the day was at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Auburn, Washington, by Carol Foster on the church’s E. & G. G. Hook & Hastings organ, Opus 591 from 1871. Its caramel-colored pipes and honey-like case gleamed in the modern, light-filled room. The program began with the presentation of the OHS Historic Organ Citation for the 2-m, 12-stop instrument—the 368th such citation the society has given to instruments of historic interest. The organ’s first home was in Philadelphia, then in Camden, New Jersey. St. Matthew’s acquired it from the Organ Clearing House.
Carol Foster, a woman with a long and distinguished career, is currently parish musician at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church on Whidbey Island, Washington. Her first piece this day was a charming Andante & Gavotte from a sonata by Thomas Arne. That was followed by Craig Phillips’s (b. 1960) Prelude on “Divinum mysterium.” The room-filling sound of even the flute stops on this little organ let us know that this was indeed a Hook organ.
Next up was the early American tune “Restoration” from Sacred Sounds by George Shearing (b. 1919), in which Foster gave us a good hearing of the foundation stops. That was followed by Song of Happiness (1914), by Roland Diggle: a sweet, sentimental piece that brought many a smile. Then came Theodore Dubois’ Cantilène religieuse. Foster joked about the tremolo, which was a force unto itself. She used the Oboe (the organ’s only reed), but it sounded like there was a flute with the oboe. She ended with an energetic and jolly performance of Jacques Lemmens’s Fanfare. The hymn “Come, We That Love the Lord” (tune Vineyard Haven) closed this fine recital.
We drove to Olympia, paying a brief visit to handsome government buildings, then went downtown to eat lunch in the lobby of the Washington Center for the Performing Arts. After lunch, Andy Crow performed for us on the theater’s mighty Wurlitzer. He has several silent film scores to his credit. We were treated to his accompaniment to the Laurel and Hardy silent film “Double Whoopee,” which was hysterical. His expert accompaniment kept pace with craziness on the screen. He used the organ’s resources very well, and also played a number of classic American songs. It was a fun midday break.
Our next stop was Spanaway Lutheran Church in Spanaway, Washington, and its attractive 1905 Jesse Woodberry & Co. Opus 225 organ. Built in Boston, it was acquired by the Organ Clearing House. Its walnut case and white façade pipes with gold mouths make for a striking appearance, and its two manuals and 18 ranks work very well in this appealing space, standing as it does to the right of the altar. Much of the restoration work was lovingly done by members of the congregation under the leadership of organbuilder Stephen Cook. Carpeting was pulled up and a hardwood floor was installed.
We began with the presentation of the Historic Organ Citation by Stephen Schnurr. The recital was played by Kevin Birch from Bangor, Maine, where he teaches organ and harpsichord at the University of Maine’s School of the Performing Arts. He began with Arthur Foote’s Festival March, op. 29, no. 1 (1893), which demonstrated the foundation stops nicely—a good solid forte. An additional Foote piece followed: Allegretto, op. 29, no. 2 (1893), which walked us through this fine organ’s softer sounds. The Great Flute d’Amour 4′, played one octave lower, was particularly effective. The Swell shades created an incredible pp. The hymn was “Abide with Me” (Eventide). In a masterful bit of accompanying, he never dominated, he led.
The closing piece was Dudley Buck’s Variations on “The Last Rose of Summer.” Among other fine things, we got to hear the gentle Swell strings. I also liked the Swell Violin Diapason in its rich tenor range. I was struck thus far this week by the number of recitals that ended pianissimo. This was one of them. The magic swell shades on this organ really did their job!

We then went to the Chapel of Trinity Lutheran Church in Tacoma (Parkland). A brass trumpet bedecked with blue ribbons was suspended from a wrought iron stand outside the church’s door to greet us. We came to hear the Geo. Kilgen & Son organ from 1890. Now in its fifth home (!), this well-traveled 2-m and 12-stop organ seems quite happy in its present surroundings. Even though its façade pipes are new, it was given a well-deserved OHS Historic Organ Citation. Our recitalists were husband and wife Tim and Cheryl Drewes. This would be a recital of duet and solo literature, and they jumped right in with Horatio Parker’s Quick March (for two organists). It was played with plenty of brio! Next was Humoresque for organ and piano by Widor—that was new to me. If you are in the market for a good piano/organ duet, I can recommend this one.
Tim Drewes then played Sortie (from L’Organiste Moderne) by Louis James Alfred Lefébure-Wély, which sounded like theatre music—spirited with plenty of contrast. Ah, how different early 19th-century Parisian church music was from what it would become! He then led us in the hymn “All my hope on God is founded” to the tune Michael, written by Herbert Howells and dedicated to his young son Michael, who died of polio. I never fail to be moved by this hymn and tune.
Cheryl then played Rooster Rag by Muriel Pollock (1895–1971), a humorous little piece that would make a good encore. Hopping back on the bench, Tim Drewes played a cheerful Bergamasca by Samuel Scheidt, showing this organ’s versatility. Cheryl Drewes then ended this engaging concert with a fine reading of Mendelssohn’s Sonata in D Major (op. 65, no. 5).
Sometimes you can tell a great deal about an organ builder just by visiting his or her shop. The Paul Fritts & Co. organ shop in Tacoma (Parkland) is a thing of great beauty. The wooden building is stained with an almost amber color. The large main door rises twelve feet or so to a curved arch with faceted wooden insets. We were served wine and snacks and got to look at upcoming projects and parts of an early 19th-century case they are restoring. It was all very inspirational.
We then drove a few blocks to the campus of Pacific Lutheran University. Huge old growth Douglas fir trees towered over rich green lawns and beautiful landscaping. We were served a delicious dinner in the University Center: roast pork with lingonberry sauce! God bless those Swedish Lutherans! We then walked through the beautiful campus to Lagerquist Concert Hall. The building’s entrance windows were decorated in glass flower blossoms by the world-renowned Tacoma artist Dale Chihuly. Upon entering the hall, our eyes beheld the jaw-droppingly gorgeous Paul Fritts organ, Opus 18 from 1998, surely one of the most beautiful organs in North America. The high tin content of the façade pipes and the 250 square feet of basswood pipeshades and fanciful figures all done by Jude Fritts, Paul Fritts’s sister, made for a visual feast. The tall, honey-colored case is made of old-growth Douglas fir logs, which came from local forests including Mount Rainier National Park. The hall itself has adjustable acoustics from one to over four seconds of reverberation.
The recitalist was Paul Tegels, university organist at PLU, who opened his recital with a Toccata in G by Scheidemann. He gave it a grand sweeping sound that seemed to invite us into the world of this instrument. Next we heard two selections from the Netherlands of 1599: from the Susanne van Soldt Manuscript, Branle Champagne and Almande Brun Smeedelyn. Then it was on to four versions of the tune Von Gott will ich nicht lassen, the first a four-part harmonization by J. S. Bach, then three fantasies on Une Jeune Fillette by Eustache du Caurroy (1549–1609), which showed some of the reed stops; the next version of the chorale came from Johann Ludwig Krebs’s Clavierübung, showing us the beautiful flute stops; and the last was a Fantaisie sopra “Une Jeune Fillette” by Bert Matter (b. 1936), which had a variety of sounds rhythmic and pulsating. By the end it receded to quiet flutes, which restated the chorale. Tegels closed the first half of his program with the Praeludium in D Minor (originally E minor) by Nicolaus Bruhns. The small arpeggiated figures on the Positive were delicious. When he brought on the 32′s at the end we were transported. Thrilling playing!
After intermission, we sang the hymn “Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones” (Lasst uns erfreuen) with a fine introduction composed by David Dahl. Tegels then treated us to Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in G Major, BWV 541. The boastful, chest-thumping music bounced along with a sense of self satisfaction, the wind system giving us a lovely crescendo on the final chord. Next was a Suite, op. 34, no. 1, by Widor for organ and flute, in which Tegels was joined by flutist Jennifer Rhyne. It was very pretty music that seemed highly agreeable and accessible, although the Scherzo has challenges.
For his final work, Tegels chose Alexandre Guilmant’s Sonata I in D Minor. He invested a great deal of vitality into the Introduction and Allegro, followed by just the right amount of letting up before the da capo. I am so glad that in the last 25 years or so we are hearing Guilmant’s music once again. The wonderful Pastorale, which I like to use during communion or as a prelude, was very nicely played. There are so many fine 8′ sounds on this organ. The Vox Humana buzzed along nicely with the 32′ humming below. Tegels made the Finale burst forth like fireworks, timing it just right to catch us off guard. From start to finish, it was a virtuoso performance by builder, player and architect. We had ended a long day, but our spirits were quite high!

Wednesday July 16
For the most part, this would be “Episcopal Day.” Our first stop on this bright and sunny morning was Seattle’s St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, in the Space Needle area, nestled among several inviting Asian restaurants. The churchyard featured a labyrinth and imaginative landscaping. The organ we were about to hear is quite a remarkable instrument. It hangs by cables from the trusses of this A-frame structure—even the balcony is suspended. Marie-Claire Alain called it “a flying organ.” On paper, the organ, built by Gebr. Späth (Opus 753, 1963, 2-m, 15 stops), seems rather sparse. The only 8′ on the Great is a Koppelfloete. So we were curious to hear how it would do. Walter E. Krueger, from Portland, Oregon, was our performer. He opened with Buxtehude’s Praeludium in D Minor, Bux WV 140, which he played with great flourish. It was immediately clear that this little organ was not afraid to speak up for itself. Next were two of Bach’s Schübler Chorales. Wachet auf used the Great flutes 8′ and 2′, with the Swell Trumpet 8′. The pedal seemed to be Subbass 16′ and the Choralbass 4′. It worked well. Kommst du nun showed off the twinkle in the eye of this neo-baroque organ. Krueger followed that with a gentle reading of Krebs’s Herzlich lieb’ hab ich dich, o Herr, with the ornamented chorale melody on the Swell Cornet with a sweet tremolo. The hymn was “At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing,” which was sung in alternatim with Pachelbel’s Partita on “Alle Menschen.” It gave us a fine tour of this instrument. Full organ, complete with zimbelstern, was surprisingly hearty. It was a good demonstration recital.
On a very high bridge, we crossed the ship canal that connects Lake Washington with Puget Sound and entered the University District in bright sunshine. We parked in front of our next venue, University Christian Church, a fine structure in English Gothic style. The interior is dark, with a horseshoe balcony. Great swaths of peach and white fabric were hung from the side balconies to the rear balcony to help relieve the darkness. The windows were attractive, and the ceiling was painted in rosettes of deep blue, pale blue, light green and a rich red. This would be our first electro-pneumatic organ: a large Casavant Frères, Ltée., Opus 1302, from 1929, 4-m, 60 stops. It was dedicated by Marcel Dupré on October 29, 1929, and stands in the front of the church, with the pipes in two chambers on either side of the chancel.
Peter Guy, organist and master of the choristers at Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle, Australia, was our performer. He also serves as director of chapel music at St. Andrew’s College within the University of Sydney. He has concertized all over the world, and had just turned 27 when we heard him—a charming young man with a quick and ready smile. He opened his program with J. S. Bach’s Now Thank We All Our God as arranged by Virgil Fox, which featured the foundation stops and reeds. This is an intact organ—unchanged; it possesses a warm but somewhat brooding sound. Next up was from Bach’s Orgelbüchlein: Christ ist erstanden, BWV 627, which had plenty of energy. Then came a piece by Graham Koehne (b. 1956), “The Morning Star” from his suite To his servant Bach, God grants a final glimpse, which uses the chorale tune “How brightly shines the morning star.” It was written in a Mendelssohnian style, and Guy played it with great sensitivity. I’d like to hear more music by this composer.
Edouard Batiste (1820–1876) provided the next piece, Andante in G “Pilgrim’s Song of Hope”—a character piece of its era, to feature many of the softer sounds of this instrument. Then came a favorite of mine, Rorate Caeli by Jeanne Demessieux, played with great sensitivity. Peter Guy then played Samuel Sebastian Wesley’s Andante in E-flat, which came off quite well on this organ, which is in need of a thorough restoration. The hymn was another favorite of mine, “O Thou Who Camest from Above,” to the tune Hereford by S. S. Wesley. Our tenors had a grand time! He closed with Louis Vierne’s Hymne au soleil, played with lots of grandeur. If I had anything critical to say about this fine recital, it would be that we seemed to hear too much of the same tone quality: rarely a solo reed, for example. I suspect that the condition of the instrument had much to do with that.

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Seattle was next, with a recital on its fine 2-m, 47-rank Bond organ, Opus 23 from 1994. Leslie Martin, organist and director of music at the church, was the performer. The church is an A-frame structure, and the organ stands behind the altar. Its mainly copper façade pipes are surrounded by a wall of panels that have lace-like carvings through which we could glimpse a chapel behind the organ. The church also owns a portative organ by John Brombaugh. It has carved figures on three sides of people playing instruments. Brombaugh himself explained many of the details. It came from a group of six instruments built in 1979 in his Eugene, Oregon shop.
Martin began his program with Toccata Quinta by Frescobaldi, followed by Ricercar Quinto Giovanni, by Paolo Cima (1570–1612). Next, Pange Lingua by Nicolas de Grigny: Plein Jeu en taille à 4, Fugue à 5, in which we heard the powerful Great Cornet V and the Swell Trompette, and finally, Récit du Chant de l’Hymne précédent, giving a good airing of the fine Swell Cornet in the tenor register with tremblant.
Next was Brahms’s O Gott, du frommer Gott, demonstrating the versatility of this organ’s foundation stops. He then played Messiaen’s Apparition de l’Eglise éternelle. I visited Messiaen’s church in Paris, Eglise de la Sainte-Trinité, one year ago. Even though I did not hear the organ, this music was in my head, and I wondered at all the glorious improvisations he must have created in that colorful space. Leslie Martin’s tempo and approach were faster and more robust than I would prefer, but in a room lacking reverberation like this one, it may have been a wise choice. He closed with the Adagio from Widor’s Symphony No. 2 in D Major, op. 13, no. 2. We heard the strings and the Great Harmonic Flute to which was added the Great Montre 8′. It was a good, rich sound! The hymn was “O Day of Peace That Dimly Shines” to Parry’s distinguished tune, Jerusalem. I like a more majestic pace for this tune, but it was good to hear it sung by the great voices of the OHS!
We were served a nice box lunch in the parish hall. On the way to the buses many of us were taking pictures of the beautiful flower gardens around the church and in the neighborhood—blue hydrangeas and giant roses of all colors!

We then crossed the attractive Lake Washington again and climbed up the steep bluff to St. John’s Episcopal Church in Kirkland to hear Derek Nickels, director of music at the Church of the Holy Comforter (Episcopal) in Kenilworth, Illinois. I recalled hearing him at the 2006 convention and was eager to hear him again. He did not disappoint—secure, solid rhythm and sensitive musicianship again were the order of the day. The organ was a 2-m, 17-stop Cole & Woodberry, Opus 225, built in Boston in 1892. The OHS Seattle 2008 Organ Atlas has two articles about this fascinating instrument. Tom Foster tells of its original home in Highland Congregational Church, Westford Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. When the church closed, the organ was put in storage, and St. John’s acquired it in 1974. Glenn White of Olympic Organ Builders, Seattle, installed it in St. John’s, and later on Richard Bond Organ Builders did major work on the action. Stephen Pinel also wrote a fascinating essay for the Atlas on William B. Goodwin, who designed the organ. The façade has three large false wood pipes followed by a row of some 27 pipes in a wide flat. Its appearance is unique! Scott Hamilton described some of the other unique features of this instrument—it really was designed to play transcriptions.
Nickels did just that. He made great use of the organ throughout the program, playing expressively in pieces like Meyerbeer’s “Coronation March” (Le Prophète) in an arrangement by Bryan Hesford, which showed contrasting sounds, and he built up to a wonderful ff. Next was John Knowles Paine’s Andante con Variazioni, op. 17. He began on a single string stop that filled the room nicely. The first variation used what sounded like the Doppelflute 8′ on the Swell—a full, rich sound; 8′ and 4′ flutes were up next. He arched the phrases nicely. The strings repeated the opening theme.
Next were two pieces by Schumann: Sketch in D-flat Major and Canon in B Minor, in which he made the most of the resources of this organ. The jolliness of the D-flat gave way to the jingle bell effect of the B-Minor. He brought his fine program to an end with Mendelssohn’s Fugue in E Minor, giving it a spirited performance. Organ and organist were well matched. He managed the wild ride that is the pedal part of this piece with great élan. His clean playing gave life to the music. A superb performance!

I was keen to get to our next church because I always enjoy Bruce Stevens’s concerts, but also because the church, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Medina, has a 2-m and pedal, 22-stop Metzler Söhne organ, built in Dietekon, Switzerland in 1971. This would be my first Metzler, and I’m told it is the only Metzler in the United States. I have many recordings of Metzler organs, usually played by Stevens’s teacher, Anton Heiller, so I am familiar with their outstanding quality. The church is a cruciform pattern with transepts, and the altar stands at the crossing beneath a lantern tower. The organ and choir are behind the altar.
Bruce Stevens, a well-known and distinguished figure at OHS conventions, serves as organist at Second Presbyterian Church in downtown Richmond, Virginia. He is also adjunct instructor in organ at the University of Richmond, and leads OHS organ tours of Europe. I truly admire and respect his playing. He began with J. S. Bach’s Canonic Variations on “Vom Himmel hoch, da komm’ ich her,” BWV 769. After three variations, we sang the hymn “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come” (Vom Himmel hoch). The organ led us very well. Stevens then played the final two variations, delineating the parts of the canons with clarity and grace.
There followed yet another canonic piece: Schumann’s Piece in Canonic Form, op. 56, no. 5; again we had a clear idea of where the music was going. He ended with Schumann’s Fugue on the Name of B-A-C-H, op. 60, no. 6. Stevens used this wonderful organ very well, letting us hear its fine colors and refined voicing. The glorious ff finale was spine-tingling!
Our next event was a dinner cruise aboard the elegant “Spirit of Seattle.” The relaxing evening took us on a cruise of the beautiful waters of Puget Sound. The food was bountiful, the conversation was friendly and stimulating, and the scenery was magnificent. The huge skyscrapers of downtown Seattle and the graceful Space Needle slowly began to shrink as the natural landscape took center stage. A full moon appeared as mist clung to the shores of islands and peninsulas, while the Cascade Mountains rose behind. Dominating all was Mount Rainier, gazing down like an Old Testament prophet. We began the cruise in the bright sunshine of the late afternoon, returning to shore at dusk just as the lights of the downtown buildings and the Space Needle were beginning to twinkle magically. It was a perfect evening.

Thursday, July 17
Thursday began at Calvary Lutheran Church in Federal Way, Washington, with a recital by Sharon Porter Shull, minister of music at Agnus Dei Lutheran Church in Gig Harbor, Washington, on the church’s Kenneth Coulter organ, Opus 6, built in Eugene, Oregon. Its two manuals, pedal, and 19 stops stand in the rear balcony. Roger Meers’s essay in the Atlas points out that the church’s low ceiling necessitated a Rückpositive. As the church’s music program expanded, the balcony was enlarged, bringing it forward on each side of the Rückpositive.
Shull opened with the Allegro from Vivaldi’s Concerto del Sigr. Meck (sic) as arranged by Johann Gottfried Walther—a most engaging piece, which she played in a most entertaining way. The organ has very sweet tones that were evident in the next piece, Partita on “Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten” by Georg Böhm, which would be the hymn we would sing at the end of the program. We moved forward to the end of the 19th century for Brahms’s O Welt, ich muss dich lassen, and then heard Bach’s Herr Gott, nun schleuss den Himmel auf, BWV 617. The ornamented chorale tune was played on the organ’s Schalmei 8′, but it did not seem to be alone. She then played a gentle little Trio in C by Krebs, followed by Bach’s Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier, BWV 751, for which she used the Rückpositive Cornet with tremolo. We heard the Trumpet on Bach’s Der Tag, der ist so freudenreich, BWV 605, and she closed with Fuga in C (“The Fanfare”) attributed to Bach. Shull gave it a wonderful sense of momentum and joy—fine playing all around!
Our last stop of the morning was Kilworth Chapel at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, with its elegant Paul Fritts & Co. organ, Opus 8, from 1989. We had gotten ahead of schedule, however, so they gave us a brief tour of downtown Tacoma’s invitingly attractive area. Dale Chihuly’s glass workshop is there, as well as three grand old theaters that have been mercifully spared the indignities of the wrecking ball.
We soon arrived at the University of Puget Sound’s campus and its New England-style chapel. The Fritts organ stands on the stage. Its case is white with accents of gold leaf and panels of pale green. Elaborate gold pipe shades stand guard above and below the dark façade pipes, heavy with lead. The organ is essentially North German, but the Swell Oboe 8′ is a copy of a Cavaillé-Coll stop. It was the first Fritts organ to have a Swell division, and Paul Fritts is a graduate of this school.
Our recitalist was Paul Thornock, an alumnus currently serving as director of music at St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Columbus, Ohio, where he presides over a large and magnificently red 2006 Fritts organ. His personality and his playing can best be described as ebullient. Thornock opened with Buxtehude’s Praeludium in E Minor, BuxWV 142. This organ has power and a rich tone, and his playing possessed the power and richness to match it. Next, in a partita by Walther on Jesu, meine Freude, we heard a good variety of the tonal features of this fine 2-m, 34-stop organ. The Great Rohrflöte was very pleasing. The Swell 8′ Principal with tremulant accompaniment by that Great Rohrflöte was a truly beautiful effect. Next, the Cantabile from Louis Vierne’s Symphonie No. 2 demonstrated this organ’s romantic possibilities, including its Cavaillé-Coll-style Oboe.
More romantic literature followed: the brilliant Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, op. 59, nos. 5 and 6 by Max Reger. Thornock’s keen sense of proportion and architecture was evident, and he has a huge technique. The hymn was “Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending” (Helmsley). This was another outstanding recital at this outstanding convention. And we weren’t done yet! For lunch, we were treated to a midsummer cookout on the grounds of the campus beneath the Douglas fir trees that towered over an incredibly lush green lawn.
Our first recital of the afternoon was given by Rodney Gehrke, director of music and liturgy at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco, and at the city’s Temple Emanu-El. He also teaches undergraduate organ at the University of California, Berkeley. He had the good fortune to be assigned the organ by John Brombaugh & Associates, Opus 22, 1979 (2-m, 23 stops) in the modern and strikingly beautiful Christ Church, Episcopal, Tacoma. David Dahl has been organist there for 38 years and told us that while the style is affectionately called “Brutalism” because it is all concrete and heavy wood, the acoustics are great and people can hear each other pray and sing. The organ resounds nicely, too!
The sun had just come out after a cloudy morning, so it was appropriate that we sang as our hymn “Now that the Daylight fills the skies” (Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend). Living as I do just four blocks from John Brombaugh’s Opus 33 (49 ranks) in the chapel at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, I heard many familiar sounds in Gehrke’s first selection, Magnificat on the Third Tone by Lebègue. Brombaugh’s vocale voicing of the principals and flutes, and the rich and full-throated reeds were his trademarks on display. The recently added Erzähler 8′ and Celeste 8′ made for a wondrous sound in Langlais’ “Chant de Paix” from Neuf Pièces. Written at the end of WWII, we can only wonder at the relief the French felt in those days. This music takes us there, and Messrs. Gehrke, Langlais and Brombaugh transported us to that eternal song of peace with their gifts of skill, art, and grace.
The Harfenregal 8′ on the Great (a stop also on the LU organ and a favorite of mine) began Hugo Distler’s Variations on “Frisch auf, gut Gsell, laß rummer gahn” from 30 Spielstücke. It was well played and demonstrated many more of the beautiful sounds of this landmark instrument. Gehrke’s
final selection was Bach’s Partita on “Sei gegrüsset, Jesu Gütig.” The chorale, played on the Great 8′ Principal, was a thing of beauty. Each variation revealed more of this truly great organ. The final variation, with full organ, was powerful, intense, and moving.

Our next stop was the First Presbyterian Church, Tacoma, for a recital by Lorenz Maycher. Whenever I see that Maycher is playing for the OHS, I know I’m in for a treat, especially when he is seated at a big romantic organ like this large Reuter, Opus 138 from 1925 (4-m, six divisions, 80 stops, 55 ranks, 121 registers). He led off with the hymn “Over the Chaos” to a tune by Russell Jackson (b. 1962). Next was a piece by Richard Purvis, “Supplication” from Four Poems in Tone. It was inclusive of all manner of supplication from quiet to intense. Then a work by Jaromir Weinberger (1896–1994), The Way to Emmaus (A Solo Cantata for High Voice with Organ) for which he was joined by gifted soprano Anneliese von Goerken, who sang marvelously. Maycher made great use of the instrument’s many gorgeous solo stops. If you have such an organ and a good soprano, you might find this a useful piece.
I was glad to see that Maycher was playing Sowerby. He is a Sowerby expert, as anyone will tell you after listening to his recordings. Today’s offering, ending the program, was Sowerby’s Prelude on “Non Nobis, Domine,” which was played with great expression and strength.
The evening event began with a blissful late afternoon non-scheduled free hour in downtown Seattle, followed by a delicious meal in Hildebrandt Hall of Plymouth Congregational Church. We then made our way upstairs to the oval-shaped church with its white/ivory walls and small stained glass windows to attend Choral Evensong as sung by the Choir of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Seattle, Gary James, choirmaster. Thomas Foster was the conductor, and Craig Phillips was the organist. The Rev. Ralph Carskadden, from St. Mark’s Cathedral, was the officiant. It was a beautiful service. The choir did very well, the music was well chosen and conducted with grace. Craig Phillips played very well on the church’s 3-m Schlicker, with 53 stops and 63 ranks. All the pipes are behind a screen that stands in back of the altar. Phillips wrote quite a bit of the music performed at this service, including a very nice Prelude from Triptych for Organ, and Serenade for Horn and Organ, for which he was ably joined by Maxwell Burdick. Psalm 150 was sung to an Anglican chant by Charles Fisk (Menlo Park)—a nice touch! Phillips also supplied the anthem, Teach Me, My God and King, that I liked quite a lot, and the postlude, Toccata on “Hyfrydol,” which is a terrific piece.

Friday, July 18
The last day of the convention—some really fine events were coming our way, and we were eager to plunge right in. We began at the large St. Alphonsus Roman Catholic Church in Seattle, which has a fantastic organ by Fritts-Richards, Opus 4 from 1985. With 2-m, 33 stops in a fabulous acoustic, and a drop-dead gorgeous case in the rear gallery featuring a Rückpositive, it is a thing to behold. The case is of painted poplar. The carved and gilded pipe shades were made by David Dahl’s late father. This very German organ was built by two young men still in their twenties who had never been to Europe.
Our recitalist was Dana Robinson, who is on the faculty of the School of Music at the University of Illinois. Those of us fortunate enough to have been at the OHS convention in 2006 heard him give the closing recital on the amazing 19th-century organ in the Troy Savings Bank Auditorium, and will not soon forget his brilliant concert that warm night. So we looked forward to hearing him again—this time on a bright cool morning and on another amazing organ. Robinson began his program with Modus ludendi pro organo pleno by Samuel Scheidt. He used the full plenum, which has a surprisingly powerful sound. Next up were two verses of Durch Adams Fall ist ganz verderbt by Heinrich Scheidemann. The first featured the warm Principal and a quiet reed. The second utilized a 4′ flute, beautifully and expressively played. He then went back for more Scheidemann: Es ist das Heil uns kommen her (two verses)—well played and using more of the instrument.
Up next was Buxtehude’s setting of Nun bitten wir den heiligen Geist, BuxWV 209. I believe we heard the Rückpositiv Sesquialtera II playing the ornamented chorale tune against the Great Violdigamba 8′ (sic)—gorgeous, clear sounds. That was also the hymn, which followed immediately. It was quite an experience to sing this hymn with this very North German organ in the resonant space of St. Alphonsus Church. Then came Buxtehude’s Ciacona in E Minor, BuxWV 160. Robinson began with the 8′ Principal and built from there. Organ, organist, literature and room were superb. Finally, we came to Buxtehude’s great setting of Te Deum Laudamus, BuxWV 218. I especially enjoyed the Great Trommet 8′. This organ has big-scaled pedal reeds, which he used well, including a full-length 32′ Posaunen. We were given a most thoughtful demonstration of this instrument by one of America’s finest players.
After a windy ride through the city, we found ourselves in the beautiful “First Hill” neighborhood overlooking downtown Seattle. We arrived at First Baptist Church and its newly acquired 3-m, 35-rank Aeolian-Skinner from 1953, which came from First Methodist Church in Tacoma, and was meticulously restored by Bond Organ Builders. Stephen Schnurr presented the OHS Historic Organ Citation. The organ is in two chambers on either side of the altar and baptistry.
Our recitalist was Douglas Cleveland, who opened his program with Handel’s Concerto in B-flat Major, a piece played on this organ 50 years ago by David Craighead. The middle section featured what I believe was the English Horn, a lovely stop. Next was Virgil Fox’s famous arrangement of Bach’s Come Sweet Death. Cleveland played it with great tenderness and expressivity. The hymn, “O for a Thousand Tongues” to the tune Azmon, was followed by a charming Scherzetto by Joseph Jongen and the lovely Woodland Flute Call by Fannie Dillon (1881–1897), which I believe was soloed on the Great 4′ Flute Harmonique.
Cleveland closed his program with the brilliant and dashing Four Concert Etudes by David Briggs (b. 1964). Following an introduction, it charged into the toccata-like “Octaves.” The next movement, “Chordes Alternées,” featured the Choir flutes alternating chords in various octaves with a melody in the pedal. Then a “Sarabande,” featuring the lush Aeolian-Skinner strings. The final movement entitled “Tierces” uses many of the motives of the earlier movements: octaves, alternating chords, etc. Cleveland gave a first-rate performance.
We then enjoyed a tasty box lunch in the labyrinthian but cozy basement of the First Baptist Church. After lunch, we returned to the sanctuary for the OHS annual meeting. Orpha Ochse was feted for all her work on behalf of the organ and the OHS. Joseph McCabe, chairman of the 2009 convention in Cleveland, gave us a tantalizing peek at all the good things it promises.
Following the meeting, we had a choice of spending some free time at the Seattle Center, which includes the Space Needle, or attending a recital by Gregory Crowell at German United Church of Christ in Seattle. Since I had been to the Seattle Center before, I chose the recital. True to form, we were early by about a half hour. The little church, in a quiet neighborhood and with a small congregation, has a rare treasure in these parts: a 1917 Hinners organ, Opus 2324. It was built in 1917 for St. Jakobi Lutheran Church in Allison, Iowa, and, after a few moves, it wound up in the safe hands of the Organ Clearing House. Legendary OHSer Randall Jay McCarty, organist of this church, installed the organ in 1976, replacing an electronic substitute. It has one divided keyboard and pedal and is a sweet charmer. Since we were so early, our distinguished recitalist Gregory Crowell, a favorite OHS performer (this would be his sixth convention appearance), agreed to begin 30 minutes early.
It was amazing how much he managed to get out of this six-rank instrument. He began with Huit Fugues pour le Clavecin ou l’Orgue by Johann Philipp Kirnberger: Preludium I & Fuga [1], which worked quite well. The organ was hand pumped. Then, using the electric blower, Crowell played Contrapunctus I from Kunst der Fuga, BWV 1080, by Bach—something I never thought I’d hear on a 1917 Hinners. But the organ held its own, and Crowell played it very well. Next came music by Max Drischner (1891–1971): Choralvorspiele für Dorforganisten; “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern” was played on the pleasing little 4′ flute; “Die Sonn’ hat sich mit ihrem Glanz gewendet” used the strings; and “In dir ist Freude” employed the full sound. These are very nice and accessible pieces.
Next was the hymn In dir ist Freude, which we sang in German. Again the organ was hand pumped. The next piece was a bonbon: Träumerei, op. 15, no. 7 by Robert Schumann, in an arrangement by Clarence Eddy. Then came a Pastorale by Bossi, which seemed to use every register on the organ—an amazing array of sound and color. Next up was a Capriccio by one A. Pedro Zuazo (fl. 1890) that he played in a cheerfully agreeable manner. Crowell closed his program with Church Sonata I, III. Allegro, by James Woodman (b. 1957). I never cease to enjoy hearing music by composers of our time on old instruments. These instruments are never out of date. This one played music from a wide spectrum and handled all of it with ease. Good organ building is timeless.
We then returned to the hotel for our elegant buffet dinner in the twelfth floor ballroom. Then it was off to St. James Roman Catholic Cathedral, which is perched dramatically on First Hill overlooking the southern end of downtown Seattle, with its mixture of industrial loading cranes for the ships of Puget Sound, office towers, and huge sports venues. We were at St. James for the closing event of the convention: a recital by the cathedral’s organist, Joseph Adam. This magnificent Romanesque church has been remodeled/restored so that the altar stands at the crossing. There is a large oculus above the altar, which, in photographs I’ve seen, sends a dramatic shaft of light into the building from the sun above—like the hand of God reaching in. At the west end, in a beautiful case, stands the historic musical treasure we had come to hear: the great Hutchings-Votey organ of 1906. It had escaped unharmed when the great dome of the cathedral collapsed under the weight of a massive snowstorm in 1916. In 1926 a Casavant sanctuary organ was installed in the east apse. While it had only 21 stops, it had a 4-m console that connected the two organs. The 4-m Hutchings-Votey organ has 48 stops. In 2000, the Casavant was replaced by a new organ by Rosales Organ Builders, retaining five ranks from the Casavant. It totals 48 ranks on four manuals. The Rosales pedal includes a Bombarde 64′, which is unlabeled. Only the BBBB sounds, but it is most impressive. The Rosales case wraps around the wall of the apse in a series of Romanesque arches. Like the Casavant, its console can play both organs.
An ancestor of the cathedral’s first organist, Franklin Sawyer Palmer, was introduced to the audience. The director of music, Clint Kraus, spoke of the last visit by the OHS to the cathedral in 1982, when an historic citation was presented. Kraus said that that presentation was the impetus to restore the Hutchings-Votey organ.
Joseph Adam opened his program on the Hutchings-Votey organ playing Bach’s Chaconne in D Minor as transcribed by Wilhelm Middelschulte. We were all transfixed by the amazing flutes on this magnificent organ. Then came the foundation stops, which were followed by the trumpets. The kaleidoscope of tones being flung into the vast reverberant space was quite wonderful. It calmed down to a pp with rapid repeated notes on the flutes. A big crescendo briefly included the 32′ reeds, followed by a lessening of tone as we heard more and more of this instrument.
The oculus let in the last light of day as we awaited the next selections, three well-known and loved pieces by Louis Vierne: Naïades, op. 55, no. 4; Claire de lune, op. 53, no. 5; and Carillon de Westminster, op. 54, no. 6. In Naïades, his fingers flew over the keys, flutes and strings seeming to race up and down the Romanesque arches of the cathedral. Claire de lune was all tranquility—our thoughts could wander slowly as they do in moonlight. This was heartfelt organ playing. Who could not love the organ hearing such a beautiful solo flute singing to us—lost in beauty, awe and wonder. He played the Carillon de Westminster brilliantly: controlling and holding the reins together until just the right moment when he allowed the music to explode. I’ve never heard it played better.
We then sang the hymn: “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” (Divinum Mysterium), followed by a piece commissioned for this convention, Divinum Mysterium: Solemn Meditation by Timothy Tikker (b. 1958). It is a lovely work, very quiet at first, almost brooding, the music leading into a surrender to faith. It soon brightened, the manuals reflecting the stepwise melody in fast notes while the pedal sounded out the theme in long notes. All the while a crescendo grew. It is a fine piece and a good addition to the repertoire.
After intermission, Adam appeared at the east end of the cathedral, and played the Rosales organ. He began with another piece by Timothy Tikker, Variations sur un vieux Noël. The Rosales organ makes sounds that complement rather than compete with the room’s elder statesman in the west end gallery. We heard bell sounds against strings, reeds creating open fifths, tierces sounding against trumpets. A fugue broke out that was quite lively and grew to full organ. I really liked this piece, and I like this organ. We then sang “Come Down, O Love Divine” (Down Ampney) to his marvelous accompaniment.
Joseph Adam closed this fantastic recital (the cathedral, by the way, was packed—we OHSers only occupied the transepts!) with Maurice Duruflé’s Suite, op. 5. The Prelude used both organs, creating a sonic spectacle that is possible in only a handful of buildings. The Sicilienne featured a solo reed that filled the church. Sweet strings and a bubbling flute lightly danced for us. Adam is an alert and wise musician—able to address composers’ thoughts and bring them to us in an astonishing array of color. Clearly, he knows and understands these remarkable organs completely.
The great and fiendishly difficult Toccata brought the Suite and convention to a dramatic conclusion. Adam’s performance was as magnificent as the organs he was playing. We were all swept away by his powerful strength and energy. The air above and around us was charged with his utter mastery of this music. With the huge 32′ stops giving us ground, it was at times almost gloriously terrifying—a fantastic experience! There was an encore: Dupre’s Prelude in G Minor, a somewhat palate-cleansing feeling to calm and give rest to our spirits. I did not want to leave this building. It was a transforming recital, one none of us will forget anytime soon.

Closing thoughts
This was an unusual OHS convention. While we heard plenty of old instruments, they were transplants from the east or elsewhere. We were witness to a new, more youthful voice on the national and international stage, the emerging influence of the modern organ world in the Pacific Northwest. Two names came up again and again: John Brombaugh and David Dahl. These two gentlemen have led this movement and deserve our admiration. Martin Pasi, Paul Fritts, Richards & Fowlkes, Taylor & Boody, and others got their start here.
I had a great time at this well-organized convention, seeing old friends, making new ones, eating good food, and getting to know the organ world in this part of the country. Much more will come from this school of organ building. Let us enjoy watching it unfold. The Organ Historical Society will be observing it all with great curiosity, and interest. See you next summer in Cleveland, July 5–10! Oh, and my horoscope was dead on!

Chicago, Illinois, June 25-July 1

Ronald E. Dean is Organist and Choirmaster at the Church of the Holy Cross (Episcopal) in Shreveport, Louisiana, and Professor of Music, Emeritus, at the Hurley School of Music, Centenary College. A graduate of Williams College and the University of Michigan, his organ study was with Frederick Kinsley, Robert Barrow and Robert Noehren. His reviews appear from time to time in this journal.

The forty-seventh annual convention of the Organ Historical Society took place in Chicago, with some forty events scheduled throughout the seven-day period.  The headquarters was the Hotel Allegro, formerly the famous Bismarck where, according to local lore, many a secret political deal was conjured up in what one can imagine were the proverbial "smoke-filled" rooms (the Chicago City Hall is, after all, just around the corner). Since Chicago is known familiarly as "the windy city" (the term coming more from the renowned political rhetoric than from any breezes that might come from Lake Michigan), it was appropriate that the Organ Historical Society add to the "windiness" through the sounds produced by the thousands of wind-blown pipes during the week. The convention committee, ably chaired by Stephen Schnurr, organized a well-rounded series of events designed to display a wide variety of instruments, from small one-manual nineteenth-century trackers to a huge five-manual 8,000 pipe-Wurlitzer. There was something for every taste and inclination. As the week progressed, one of the famous Chicago heat waves rolled in with daytime temperatures in the mid-nineties, producing a bit of discomfort and tuning problems in churches without air conditioning. There was much fanning and sipping from water bottles. Those stalwart organ folks who went on to the AGO national in Philadelphia the next week experienced the same sort of weather. There certainly were, to paraphrase, "hot times in those two old towns" during late June and early July.

Tuesday

The first event of the convention was a major recital played by William Aylesworth, former OHS President, and convention co-chair for the previous OHS convention held in Chicago in 1984. This evening recital featured the famous 1875 Hook and Hastings three-manual, Op. 794, the oldest organ in Chicago. The building, now the Scottish Rite Cathedral, was originally Unity Church (Unitarian). The program opened with the spirited singing of the three verses of "The Star Spangled Banner" which was followed by Voluntary No. 1 in D, Boyce; Deux Noëls (Laissez pestres vos bestes and Joseph est bien marié), Le Bègue; Cantabile, Franck; Marche Funèbre, Loret; Praeludium und Fuge für orgel zu vier Händen, Albrechtsberger; and Symphonie II, Widor. James Wyly provided the additional two hands in the Albrechtsberger piece. Following this beautifully played recital, which included cogent and helpful verbal commentary, Aylesworth provided the enthusiastic audience with an encore, "Marcia" from Widor's Symphonie No. III (original edition). Since Aylesworth is the regular organist for the Scottish Rite Cathedral, his elegant playing was at home with the musical choices which displayed both the subtle and grand sounds of the organ. In spite of the lack of reverberation to match the grandeur of both the instrument and the building, this opening program was a fitting beginning for the convention.

Wednesday

The first full day began with a "Group A-Group B" split for the first event  to accommodate limited seating space in a couple of churches. This report will follow the "Group A" plan. After a somewhat delayed departure from downtown Chicago with the compounding problems of heavy traffic and the omnipre-sent work on the highways, OHS regular Mary Ann Crugher Balduf presented the following program on a delightful one-manual organ of circa 1885 attributed to Chicago builder Emil Witzmann in St. John United Church of Christ, Palatine: March, Marsh; En Forme de Canon, Salomé; "Élevation" (from Heures Mystiques, op. 49), Boëllmann; "Vision" (from Sechs Charakterstücke für Orgel, op. 64), Bibl; "Moderato," "Poco Allegro," "Moderato con moto" and "Allegro Giocoso" from Miniatures for Organ by Howells; "Prière pour les morts" from Twenty-four Pieces for Organ by Langlais; "All my hope on God is founded" from Three English Hymn Tunes, Clark; followed by singing of the hymn by Howells. The program closed with a Scherzo by Shelley. This instrument was one of the smallest to be heard and was masterfully handled by Ms. Balduf to show what can be done on a lovely little organ with seemingly limited resources. The building is a charming New England style church that has had some recent remodeling. The organ shares a rear balcony location with Hammond speakers. The high placement allows the organ to offer a fair amount of presence within a rather dead acoustical environment. The instrument was restored by parishioners Stan and Scott Regula.

A trip to historic Woodstock (no, not THAT one; this one is in Illinois) and its 19th-century Romanesque-styled Opera House which houses a "steamboat gothic" theatre brought us to an informative lecture by William Osborne on one of Chicago's premier figures in the organ world, Clarence Eddy (1851-1937). Osborne's recently published comprehensive study on Eddy is available through the OHS catalogue. Though a native of Massachusetts, the often-traveling organist and pedagogue spent a great amount of time in Chicago, and these years were the center of Osborne's well-delivered and enlightening remarks which were followed up by a recital of some of Eddy's works the next day (see below). Prior to the lecture, John H. Scharres, managing director of the Woodstock Opera House, related the colorful history of the building and the many uses to which it had been put over the years.

St. Mary Catholic Church, just a short walk from the Opera House, was the site for both a box lunch and a recital by Robert E. Woodworth, Jr. on the church's 1910 two-manual Hutchings which has had some restoration by the Berghaus Organ Company. Michael Friesen presented an OHS Historic Organ plaque to the church. In spite of having wall-to-wall carpeting as well as pew cushions, the vast interior space with its high barrel-vault ceiling offered a good acoustical environment for the following program, which consisted of works by Chicago composers: "Fanfare" from Sonatina for Worship No. 7 by Jones; "Meditation--Elegie" from Suite for Grand Organ, Borowski; Allegretto (Andante quasi Allegretto) and Rondo (Allegretto non troppo), Buck; "Intermezzo" from Sonata II for Organ, Moline; Rest in Peace, Goode; and Impromptu, Bliss; followed by the vigorous singing of the hymn "Wonderful words of life." One wonders how many times that old Gospel hymn had been sung in a Roman Catholic church! The organ, with its keen strings and heavy, broad sound (especially in the reed stops), filled the room well.

Our travel delays were further complicated by a bus breakdown before we arrived at St. Mary Roman Catholic Church in Buffalo Grove where Susan Friesen played the following program: "Offertoire" from Heures mystiques, Vol. 2, op. 30, Boëllmann; two settings of Meine Seele erhebt den Herren, Pachelbel; Pastorale in F-Dur, Bach; Pastorale in A, Clarke; Pastoral Interlude (op. 32, no. 4), Parker; and Variations to the Sicilian Hymn, Carr (arr. Owen), which had been preceded by the singing of the hymn "Saviour, like a shepherd lead us" to the tune Sicilian Mariners. The organ, a small one-manual built by the Wisconsin Pipe Organ Factory in 1904, featured a reversed console. (See the Organ Handbook, 1993, p. 7, for a description of a similar instrument built by the same firm in 1905, reversed console and all, which was played by Rachelen Lien during the Kentuckiana Convention.) Ms. Friesen chose a program that was well-organized and energetically played to show the variety of sonic combinations available on this instrument of limited resources. The church building had been extended at its liturgical east end with the result that the worship space was considerably increased, yet the organ, with its favorable rear gallery location, filled the entire area effectively.

Zion United Church of Christ in the beautiful little town of Carpentersville was the site for a short program played by Mary Gifford on a small two-manual tracker Hinners of 1911 which has had restoration work done by Gruber Pipe Organs, Inc. The instrument is well maintained and loved by the congregation. Ms. Gifford obviously enjoyed playing the following program: Rustic Wedding, West; Prelude, Cradle Song, and Aria, Lloyd Webber; Andante, Wild; and Variations on "St. Elizabeth," Ferko. Prior to the Ferko piece, there was a very emotion-filled moment for many of the conventioneers at the singing of the hymn "What heavenly music" from the 1849 publication, Hymns for God's Peculiar People. Ms. Gifford noted that this was the late Alan Laufman's favorite hymn to which she has provided a descant in his memory. Alan was a prime moving force in, as well as past President of, the OHS and served the Society in many other capacities. He was also the founder of the Organ Clearing House, an organization that has saved many an old and worthy instrument. Since Alan had been a friend to many at the convention, some people found it difficult to sing through increasingly misty eyes.

After another lengthy bus trip, we arrived at the locale of what was undoubtedly one of the monumental highlights of the entire convention, a stunning memorized recital by Ken Cowan given at the Victorian Palace at Plum Tree Farm in Barrington Hills, the residence of Jasper and Marian Sanfilippo. The entire setting defies description--it must be experienced. A catered buffet dinner took place in what one wag called "the rec room," a large museum containing a variety of mechanical contrivances including automatic musical machines, a complete carousel, steam and other-powered engines and a Rolls-Royce Roadster. There was time to wander among the exhibits before taking a short walk to the main house and the continuation of displays of hundreds of mechanical musical instruments, all restored and in playing condition, and in an opulent and perfectly maintained facility, a part of which is actually the residence for the Sanfilippo family.

Cowan's recital took place in the astoundingly decorated multi-storied Music Room which houses, in addition to many more self-playing instruments, the pièce de resistance, an eight-thousand-pipe five-manual Wurlitzer which, in its present state, is the result of the late David Junchen's plan for the ultimate theatre organ. The instrument was originally a much smaller 1927 Wurlitzer built for the Riviera Theatre in Omaha. After considerable expansion, it now contains five enclosed divisions on several levels plus a set of tower chimes flanking the stage. People who did not mind climbing into the chamber were invited to do so at the end of the recital to see the inner workings. Those readers who have heard Ken Cowan realize that he is among the most outstanding young organists on the scene today. His unassuming manner and his sure and relaxed technique hide a fiery yet totally musical approach to organ playing. His program: The Stars and Stripes Forever ("my own arrangement with [obvious] borrowing from other peoples' arrangements," said Cowan). He also noted that a program such as this one requires "rapid shutters" . . . he then turned again to the audience and in an aside added " . . . this may be the only group who knows what I mean!" He was probably correct. The program continued with Rondo Capriccio (a study in accents), Lemare; "Nocturne" and "Scherzo" from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Mendelssohn; Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue, Willan; Prelude to Hansel and Gretel, Humperdinck (arr. Lemare); the rousing singing of the wonderful English hymn Angel Voices, followed by "My Heart at Thy Sweet Voice" from Samson and Delilah, and Danse Macabre, Saint-Saëns (the latter arr. Cowan); and Overture to Oberon, von Weber (arr. Cowan). After several curtain calls, the artist returned with an encore, Moszkowski's Etude in F Major, a brilliant tour de force. As an added touch during the playing of Danse Macabre, one could see occasional appropriate and dramatic lightning flashes in the night sky. Surely, there was no Wurlitzer stop for that special effect!

Thursday

The day began at a somewhat more relaxed pace with Michael Friesen presenting an account of the Louis Mitchell organ built in Montreal in 1869-1870 for Holy Family Catholic Church, Chicago. At seventy-five ranks, it was reputedly the largest church organ in the country. It was rebuilt by Roosevelt in 1892 with a detached keydesk. After several additional rebuildings, all that remains is the huge case occupying a commanding place in the upper gallery. Even though the plethora of golden angels have descended from their once-ornamental location on the organ case (they are still intact and are in the process of being re-gilded), what remains is still imposing.

The landmark Pullman United Methodist Church and its wonderful 1882 Steere and Turner organ was the site of the first recital of the day. Naomi Rowley presented the following program: Epilogue on St. Theodulph, Willan; Two Christmas Partitas: Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming and Good Christian Friends, Rejoice, Drischner; How Brightly Shines the Morning Star, Gade; Prelude and Fugue in B-flat, Simon; Two Pieces (op. 90): Lamento, and Paraphrase on a Chorus from Judas Maccabeus, Guilmant; and the hymn "Of all the spirit's gifts to me" sung to the tune Meyer. The instrument is a fine example of some of the best in nineteenth-century American organ building. Restored by Kurt Roderer in 1968, its tone is broad and solid yet clear and well-balanced in both its small and large ensembles. Dr. Rowley obviously understood the instrument and chose her program well to demonstrate its features. She is a consummate musician and responded modestly to the well-deserved standing ovation.

Our next stop was in the Hyde Park area and the Disciples Divinity House and the Chapel of the Holy Grail on the campus of the University of Chicago. The beautiful chapel has a small two-manual nine-rank Aeolian organ (Op. 1775; 1930) in the rear gallery. Michael Shawgo informally demonstrated the mildly-voiced instrument with the following selections that had been in the Aeolian player roll catalogue: "Meditation" from Thaïs, Massenet; The Palms, Fauré; The Question and The Answer, Wolstenholme; Meditation, Sturges; Andantino, Chauvet; Hymn of the Nuns, Lefébure-Wely; and "War March of the Priests" from Athalie (op. 74), Mendelssohn. Because of the intimate dimensions of the lovely chapel, listeners were encouraged to visit the demonstration in shifts. The organ, totally enclosed behind a wooden screen, has the character of many a residence organ built by the same firm. Since this campus was also the venue for a box lunch, conventioneers were free to mill about the facility and perhaps take advantage of the following recital by Rhonda Sider Edgington played on the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Carillon of the University of Chicago's Rockefeller Chapel: Prelude No. 5 in d, Van den Gehn; Londonderry Air, arr. Myhre; Wondrous Love, arr. Warner; Changes, White; Three Short Pieces ("Air," "Lullaby," "Chantey"), Miller; "On the Burro" and "Jumping Bean" from Spanish Suite by Della Penna; Waltz, Barnes; and Chorale Partita IV on St. Anne, Knox. Some of the more adventuresome listeners took up the invitation to climb the tower to visit the playing cabin.

Following these events, Derek Nickels played a recital on the unaltered 1928 Skinner, Opus 685, in the University Church, Disciples of Christ. His program: Imperial March, Elgar; Chant sans Paroles, Lemare; "Divertimento" from Four Extemporizations, Whitlock; Prelude on Land of Rest, Sowerby; the singing of the hymn, "O God, our help in ages past" followed by Toccata and Fugue on St. Anne from Music for Elizabeth Chapel, Ferko. Nickels treated the fine Skinner with style and aplomb during his expert playing of the program in what was some more oppressive heat. He maintained his composure and musicality during what must have been an unsettling and unwanted percussive hammering just outside the church whose windows were open in an attempt to invite some circulation of air. Mr. Skinner occasionally did include some percussion stops in his instruments, but certainly nothing like this.

William Osborne then played a program featuring works either dedicated to or by Clarence Eddy in the vast church of St. Mary of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Church in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago. The large Austin, Opus 1602 of 1928, sang out its solid tones in the opulent, well-maintained and multi-domed structure. As a part of the recent restoration work, its seven-rank String Organ sounded for the first time in twenty-five years. Osborne is a seasoned musician with a great sense of style and an admirable feeling for the musical phrase. His program: Concert Overture in c (1899), Hollins (dedicated to Clarence Eddy); Suite for Organ (1905) "To Clarence Eddy," Rogers; and Eddy's own Festival Prelude and Fugue on Old Hundred (1879), which was followed by the singing of the same tune to the text: "Before Jehovah's Awful Throne." Osborne's deft handling of the incredible pedal cadenza at the end of the Eddy Fugue was nothing short of spectacular. Another well-deserved standing ovation followed.

Holy Family Roman Catholic Church was the site of a short program played by Jason Alden on a delightful one-manual Steinmeyer organ, Opus 197, of 1879 on loan to the church by Keith Hooper. Its reversed console allows the organist to view the now-empty Louis Mitchell case that had been the topic of Michael Friesen's lecture earlier in the day. Like many other churches, Holy Family is in the process of extensive restoration, and is a monument to the faith and persistence of both the clergy and parishioners. The program: Onder een linde groen, Sweelinck; "Andante" from Twelve Fughettas (op. 123a), Rheinberger; "Lebhaft" from Six Fugues on B-A-C-H, Schumann; Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, Buxtehude, followed by the singing of the hymn "Come unto me, ye weary" to the tune Abendlied. Alden, a fine young and very musical player whose interest in the organs of Costa Rica has recently been published in The Tracker (Volume 44, Number 2, 2000), chose his pieces wisely to demonstrate the lovely, bright and incisive sounds of this beautifully designed unenclosed nine-stop tracker. Amazingly, its sounds effectively filled the vast interior of the church.

The evening feature was a recital wonderfully played by Will Headlee on a rare Wurlitzer church organ (Opus 2065, 1930) of four manuals and 32 ranks installed in the breathtaking Reform Jewish Temple Sholom on Lakeshore Drive in the area of Chicago known as the "Gold Coast." After warm remarks by Rabbi Aaron M. Petuchowski, Headlee offered the following program: the hymn "Open your ears, O faithful people," sung to the tune Torah Song; Fantasy: Torah Song, Phillips; Fantaisie in E-flat, Saint-Saëns; Prelude and Fugue in G (BWV 541), Bach; Grand Choeur Triomphal, Guilmant; "Landscape in Mist" from Seven Pastels from the Lake of Constance, Karg-Elert; "Naïades" and "Clair de lune" from Pièces de Fantaisie, Vierne; Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue, Willan; Sweet Sixteenths--A Concert Rag for Organ, Albright; and Toccata on Leonie, Bingham; which was followed by the singing of the hymn by the large audience. The unusual Wurlitzer is situated in two high and widely separated chambers with a balcony for choir and organist. Unfortunately, the placement of the console and the reflecting panel for the choir together make it very difficult for the organist to sense balance with the division on the south side of the gallery since the console is on the north side of the choir loft. Headlee provided us with appropriate and entertaining comments during the recital where he demonstrated the many colors of this unusual and quite fine instrument. Its full, somewhat bright yet smooth and well-balanced sound was a revelation to most, yet he used the Albright piece to bring out the theatre organ colors for which Wurlitzer is better known. An extended ovation followed the program. In recognition of the rarity and quality of the instrument, Michael Friesen presented an OHS Historical Organ citation to the Cantor, Aviva Katzman. Upon leaving, one noticed that the listing of the staff included the name of a Rabbi named Moses--no wonder that this is an important Temple!

Friday

This was northwestern Indiana day that began with a program played by Thomas Brown on a tonally bright and strong 1963 Phelps-designed Casavant (Opus 1740) situated in a rear gallery of the acoustically live contemporary St. Mary of the Lake Roman Catholic Church in Gary. His program was preceded by a surprise snippet of the great Bach Toccata in D Minor that then received a segue into a "Happy Birthday" salute to OHS President, Michael Barone, joyfully sung by all. The recital proper began with the following Bach works: Prelude in G (BWV 541a), Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ (BWV 639), featuring appropriate and subtle ornamentation, Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein (BWV 641) and In dulci jubilo (BWV 608), all from Das Orgelbüchlein, and Fuge in E-flat (BWV 552b) from Clavierübung III; "Berceuse" from 24 Pièces en style libre (op. 31), Vierne; "Placare Christe servulis" from Le Tombeau de Titelouze (op. 38), Dupré, followed by the singing of the hymn "Christ Leads" sung to the artist's own magnificent tune, Spes. Brown can always be relied on for vigorous, exciting and accurate playing as well as sensitive phrasing, and this program showed his considerable abilities in abundance. After a short punch and cookies reception given by the ladies of the church, we were off to Valparaiso for the next two events as well as another box lunch.

David Schrader played a dazzling program on a fine 1883 Johnson and Son organ (Opus 615) which had been relocated through the Organ Clearing House and restored in 1994 by the Rutz Organ Company and installed in the Chapel of Mary, Queen of the Apostles in St. Paul Roman Catholic Church, Valparaiso, where convention chairman Stephen Schnurr is organist. The program: the hymn "Ancient of days" sung by all to the tune Albany; Postlude from Glagolitic Mass, Janácek; Postlude pour l'office de complies, Alain; and Grand Sonata, Buck. Schrader's choices of registration showed the transplanted Johnson off to fine advantage in spite of the dead acoustics. Of particular note were the magical Alain Postlude and the Buck Grand Sonata, a composition made for an organ such as this.

OHS Archivist, Stephen Pinel, presented an illustrated lecture titled, "New and Notable at the OHS American Organ Archives," both a retrospective view and opportunities for the future of what has become one of the most noteworthy collections of organ research materials in the world. The collection began modestly and moved to various locations prior to settling in its present rather elegant space in the Talbott Library of the Westminster Choir College of Rider University. Profound thanks for many years' hard work and dedication are due to Stephen Pinel and his many helpers for bringing our archives to its present state of world-wide and noteworthy respect. If interested, contact the OHS headquarters (www.organsociety.org) for further information on the Archives, its plans and needs.

A visit to the magnificent Chapel of the Resurrection on the Valparaiso University campus brought us to another one of the feature programs of the convention, a recital by John Gouwens on the 102-rank Schlicker/Dobson. The ambiance is visually stunning as well as sonically commanding. After some welcoming remarks by Valparaiso's acting president and university organist, Gouwens played the following program: Praeludium in e, Bruhns; Au jô deu de pubelle--Grans Déi, ribon ribeine, Balbastre; Cathédrales, Vierne; and the hymn "How lovely shines the morning star" sung with gusto by the entire audience, followed by Gouwens' magnificent improvisation on the same tune. The space and views through the incredible stained glass windows add an uplifting effect to what is reputedly the collegiate chapel with the largest seating capacity in the world. Even as left by Schlicker in 1959 with many stops prepared for, the organ was a magnum opus, and it is now even more so with the additions and changes completed by Dobson in 1996. We were told that this afternoon's performance was the first time that the organ had been featured in a national meeting. Kudos to John Gouwens for tour de force playing on yet another hot midwestern afternoon.

We then traveled to St. Paul Episcopal Church in La Porte for a short recital by Gregory Crowell on the church's much altered 1871 Steer and Turner tracker, Opus 45 (with some further rebuilding and additions by Ronald Wahl). The organ has a rather commanding presence in the small and acoustically unsympathetic room, but it did exhibit some refinement in its full sounds and warmth and subtlety in the softer ranks when some annoying ambient sounds did not interfere. Crowell can always be counted on for a sensitive sense of phrasing and contour, both of which he displayed in the following program: Ouverture in C (K. 299), Mozart; Prelude and Fugue in F (BWV 901), Bach; Five Variations on Fairest Lord Jesus Christ, Woodman (followed by the singing of this well-loved hymn); Prelude and Fugue in D, Dvorák; Solo pour la flûte, Lemmens; and Toccata, Foote. The organ had received an OHS Historical Organ plaque in 1981.

The final recital of the day was played by convention chairman, Stephen Schnurr, on a transplanted Roosevelt three-manual (Opus 506) in First Congregational Church, Michigan City. The organ has been restored by Roland Rutz, who was in the audience and recognized for his fine work. The recipient of an OHS plaque in 1999, the instrument sits in a recess at the front of the church, and what could have been a resulting "tone trap" at the top of the front display pipes and behind a choir arch seemed not to inhibit egress of the sound. The recital (enhanced by the accompaniment of birds tweeting outside) was made up of works by Chicago composers: Triumphal March (op. 26), Buck; Offertoire in g (op. 194), Havens; Prelude and Fugue in a, Eddy; "In a Village," "Serenade," and "The War Dance Festival," all from Impressions of the Philippine Islands by Moline. The first two pieces in this set featured the fine Oboe and Doppel Flute stops, while the ferocious final piece was accompanied by frantic fanning. The program continued with Meditation (op. 29), Cole; The Joy of the Redeemed, Dickinson; the hymn "O what their joy and their glory must be," sung by all as an appropriate follower for the Dickinson piece; and "Allegro con fuoco" from Sonata I, Borowski. Schnurr was obviously at home on this powerful Roosevelt, his playing being equally vigorous and brilliant while at the same time displaying an inner warmth and musicality. He is a fine young player who is receiving increasing recital exposure throughout the country. Congratulations are due to Stephen Schnurr for a fine performance, even while tending to the myriad of details as convention chairman. A note at the bottom of the page listing his recital program ended with " . . . he intends to spend the remainder of the summer walking the dunes and shores of southern Lake Michigan as soon as the convention is completed!" He has certainly earned that bit of luxury.

Our Indiana visit ended with dinner in a dining room at the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City. Some wondered if any OHSers visited the casino proper to try to recoup some convention expenses.

Saturday

The first event was a stunning recital by David Dahl on the magnificent two-manual tracker-pneumatic Roosevelt, Opus 494 of 1891, in historic St. James Roman Catholic Church, Chicago. Festive bell ringing from the lofty tower welcomed us to the church. Fortunately, neither the bell tower nor the Roosevelt was severely damaged in a disastrous fire the church suffered in 1972 except for some adverse effects to the organ of extreme heat and moisture. The organ is essentially unrestored (except for some work done in 1949) and was recently put into playing condition by Walter Bradford. Even though there are some stops that are still inoperative, it was enlightening to hear this 1891 Roosevelt of two manuals and compare it with the slightly larger three-manual Roosevelt of the same year heard just the evening before in Michigan City, Indiana. The St. James instrument benefits from installation in a high rear gallery in a lofty nave helping to give a comforting bloom to the sound in the now rather stark interior. After some heartfelt and warm welcoming comments by the pastor who has only recently received appointment to the parish, Dahl presented an outstanding performance of the following program: Trumpet Fanfare, Purcell (arr. Biggs); Allegro moderato maestoso, Mendelssohn; Dahl's own An English Suite Honoring the 18th-century English Organ Art containing "Voluntary for the Diapasons (With solemnity)," "Sarabande Air (With lyricism)," "Voluntary for the Cornet or the Trumpet (With playful spirit)," "Pastorale for the Flutes (With serenity)," and "Jigg (With jaunty humor);" Elegy, Thalben-Ball; the hymn "O praise ye the Lord" sung to the tune Happy Land; Aria, Howells; and Hymn Prelude on Song 22 of Orlando Gibbons, Stanford. Among the many features of this Roosevelt, long a favorite instrument in the area, are a big, assertive yet colorful Great Open Diapason, and a grand and incisive Great Trumpet. Dahl was at one with the organ throughout his program, and his accompaniment of the hymn was truly outstanding, leading both the Roosevelt and the congregation in subtle text breaths. This was some of the best hymn playing of the convention and a true hallmark of a fine musician.

The next event took place in the massive Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows for  a recital played by Dana Robinson on what may be the largest surviving Lyon and Healy organ, their four-manual Opus 90 of 1902. The instrument received an OHS Historic Organ plaque in honor of its historical importance and the one hundredth anniversary of its installation. The vast interior with its 80-foot high barrel vault and nave of 230 feet is an example of opulent and breathtaking Renaissance revival architecture. The organ is divided on both sides of the wide half-dome chancel and fills the room with a warm and dignified sound. Robinson's program began with the singing of "Hail! Holy Queen," after which there was a short transition leading into the playing of the entire Symphonie III (op. 13, no. 3) by Widor. This was an appropriate choice since this huge work was well suited to the large and colorful sounds of the Lyon and Healy (on which, incidentally, Clarence Eddy had played the dedication recital), the massive ambiance of the building and Robinson's brilliant playing. The entire "package" worked wonderfully well. The artist obviously understood the organ, the room and the music. This was one of the most spectacular venues of the entire convention.

For a total change of pace, the group went to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Chicago, where James Russell Brown played very ably on a small tubular-pneumatic Lancashire-Marshall (their Opus 52 of 1891) which had been relocated by the Organ Clearing House and rebuilt for its present location by the Bradford Organ Company of Evanston in 1987. Placed on an angle at the rear of the church, some of its "innards" could be seen by those entering the building. With the help of a stop assistant, Brown organized the following program to display the potential of what could be accomplished on a modest yet flexible organ: the hymn "A song of creation" sung by all to the tune Whitehead, followed by a setting of the same tune by Locklair; Ciacona in e, Buxtehude; Sur "La, Mi, Re," anonymous English, 16th century; Scherzo, Gigout; "The peace may be exchanged" from Rubrics, Locklair; Angels (Chaconne), Ferko; and Fugue in F (BWV 540), Bach. Once more, the organist must have suffered greatly from the extreme heat but his performance was musical and assured, and communicated his joy in playing (perhaps aided by the twittering of more birds).

Frederick Beal then performed the following program on a rare Burlington Organ Company tracker built in Burlington, Iowa, in 1903, and placed in a recess at the left front of the Living Sanctuary of Faith Church in suburban Oak Park. His program: Voluntary in c, Greene; Meine Seele erhebt den Herren from Schübler Chorales and Fugue in g (The Little), both by Bach; "Fidelis" from Four Extemporizations for Organ, Whitlock; "I am black but comely, O ye Daughters of Jerusalem" and "How Fair and how Pleasant art Thou" from Fifteen Pieces for Organ, Dupré; Voluntary on St. Columba, and Prelude on Hyfrydol, both by Willan, preceding the hymn "Love divine, all loves excelling" sung to the tune Hyfrydol. Thanks to work done by the Berghaus Organ Company and the loving ministrations of Fred Beal, the organ, in spite of its somewhat closeted enclosure and the fact that it still needs restoration, acquitted itself quite well. Beal noted that there had been a problem with the organ bench squeaking and that tightening repairs did not seem to do the trick, whereupon someone suggested that perhaps an application of a bit of sacred olive oil from the communion table might work. Permission was granted, and the offending noises were quite mitigated. This is the only instance we could recall of an anointed organ bench at an OHS convention.

Jonathan B. Hall then presented the final recital of the afternoon in St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Forest Park on the landmark three-manual Aeolian-Skinner (Op. 1235, 1954) with floating positiv supplied by Berghaus in 1976. As a result of the continuing heat and humidity, several conventioneers drifted in and out of "the arms of Morpheus" during the playing of the following program: Concerto in a minor (after Vivaldi), Bach; Offertoire, Truette; the haunting Lotus by Strayhorn (arr. Wyton); the hymn "O love, how deep, how broad, how high" sung to the tune Deus tuorum militum, followed by Sowerby's Prelude on the same melody. The organ with its "pipes in the open" arrangement in the rear gallery, together with the added Rückpositiv on the gallery, gives a visually stunning effect in this highly decorated, vaulted and reverberant church. Hall obviously understood the potential of both organ and the wonderful room. This event was an exciting climax to an active series of performances before we went to Oak Park for the Annual Meeting, a barbecue dinner and the evening recital.

OHS President Michael Barone efficiently chaired the meeting which, in addition to the usual business items and reports from the treasurer and executive director, contained announcements concerning the modest expansion of oversight of the OHS publications, both books and periodicals, including our official quarterly, The Tracker. At this time also, this year's Biggs Fellows, Michael Banks from South Bend, Indiana, and Charles Creech from West Monroe, Louisiana, were introduced. The E. Power Biggs Fellowship was founded to allow deserving interested people to attend a national OHS convention who might otherwise not have been able to do so. Over the years, this function of the Society has resulted in many of the recipients having gone on to careers in music as performers, church musicians, scholars, or organ builders. In fact, Patrick J. Murphy, the first recipient of a Biggs Fellowship in 1978, and now a highly respected professional organ builder in Pennsylvania, was at this convention. The Distinguished Service Award went to Julie Stephens, who over the years has done exceptionally fine work and performed many tasks for the OHS. She also happened to be in charge of the committee responsible for seeing to arranging for all of the varied dinners and box lunches provided during this week.

After a sumptuous barbecue dinner served at Oak Park's First Baptist Church, many conventioneers took advantage of a short stroll to the First Methodist Church where its 1925 four-manual E.M. Skinner (Opus 528) "open console" was generously hosted by the church's organist, Michael Shawgo, who had done the demonstration of the small Aeolian organ in the Chapel of Disciples Divinity House earlier in the week. The Skinner, though distinguished and serviceable, is awaiting restoration.

The Arts Center of Oak Park (formerly First Church of Christ, Scientist) and its three-manual Kimball of 1916 with a later Austin console was the site of an evening recital by Christa Rakich. Her program, interspersed with verbal comments that were both informative and entertaining, follows: Prelude and Fugue in d (op. 16, no. 3), Clara Schumann; the Suffragette hymn, "March of the Women," Smyth (sung lustily by all); Répons pour le Temps de Pâques--Victimae Pascali Laudes, and "Rorate Coeli," "Hosanna Filio David," "Domini Jesu," and "Veni Creator Spiritus," all by Demessieux; Nocturne, Tailleferre; and Trois Préludes et Fugues (op. 7), Dupré, performed in the following order: G minor, F minor, B Major. Peter Sykes assisted as page-turner and occasional cipher stopper, and now and then emerged "from the woodwork" (actually an anteroom) to tend to other mechanical ghosts. The selections, except for the Dupré works, were pieces by women composers. The program suited the organ well in spite of a mixture that tended to separate itself from the ensemble and a particularly huge and annoying sixteen-foot pedal stop that set up extensive vibrations in the room, and which frequently obscured the upper pitches. It is quite possible that the artist was not aware of these particular problems as the console is situated off to one side of the platform and is in a somewhat sunken valley where balances might have been difficult to perceive. Ms. Rakich's energetic performance elicited an appreciative standing ovation.

Sunday

The organizers of the convention wisely left the earlier part of this day open for those who wished either to attend churches in the area or to indulge in a late morning. The events started with Lee Orr's lecture, "Dudley Buck in Chicago." Since Orr is deeply involved in the music of this noteworthy nineteenth and early twentieth century American organist and composer, it was fitting that he present this topic to our convention, particularly since Buck had spent some time working in Chicago before returning to New England and New York after the calamitous Chicago fire of 1871. Buck was apparently well known as a virtuoso with an especially "facile and quiet" pedal technique. One looks forward to Orr's publishing the results of his research, both with regard to Buck's music as well as his biography. The profession needs continuing scholarly studies of performers and composers like Dudley Buck and Clarence Eddy (see the comments on William Osborne's presentations noted earlier in this report) to help fill in our gaps of knowledge about these important and once highly popular figures.

The group then moved to the Epworth United Methodist Church where John W.W. Sherer (organist and director of Music for Chicago's landmark Fourth Presbyterian Church) presented the following program, "Chicago Composers: Past and Present," on a fine 1930 Möller, Opus 5881: Fanfare, Proulx; "Flourish" from Suite for Organ, DeLamarter; A Song of Gratitude, Cole; "Communion" from Ferko's Missa O Ecclesia; Bred dina vida vingar, Webster; Prelude on a Melody by Sowerby, Simmons; the magnificent Pageant by Sowerby, and the hymn "This is the Spirit's entry now" sung by all to Sowerby's tune Perry. The organ, with its hefty reeds, vigorous full ensemble and lovely soft work, had been a gift of the Barnes family which included the famous William H. Barnes, who had been organist at this church and was known throughout the organ world for his many writings and the several editions of his book, The Contemporary American Organ. As usual, Sherer communicated both the demanding and subtle qualities of the program through utilizing both his remarkable virtuoso technique and his sensitive musical sense to serve the requirements of the music. He is a terrific musician.

The rest of the day's program took place in Evanston and environs, beginning with Philip Gehring's warmly received recital on a two-manual tracker built in 1974 by Lawrence Phelps and Associates for St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, Skokie. His program: Passacaglia, Buxtehude; O Mensch, bewein dein' Sünde gross (BWV 622), Bach, which featured elegant ornamentation on the Sesquialtera; this was followed by Pepping's setting of the same chorale melody and featured a solo line on the Principal; Benedictus--Cromome en Taille, Couperin; the Passacaglia of Near followed by the audience singing the hymn "Now thank we all our God" sung to the usual melody by Crüger. Sectional works such as variations, chaconnes and passacaglias are particularly good choices for events such as these as they allow opportunities to display both solo colors and various ensemble combinations. The rear gallery organ with its detached console and beautifully designed case filled the modestly sized room with strong, bright and colorful sound.

The next stop was the small St. Andrew Episcopal Church in Evanston where Ruth Tweeten presented the following short recital on the church's dandy little Lyon and Healy organ, Opus 174, of 1905: Voluntary in D, Croft; Chorale Prelude on Rhosymedre, Vaughan Williams; Jesus is tenderly calling, Open My Eyes that I May See, and This is My Father's World, all by Diemer; Voluntary in d (Diapasons), Walond; Siciliano (Swell Flutes), Alcock; Voluntary in D (Full Organ), Avison; and the hymn "Jesus is tenderly calling thee home" sung to a tune by George Stebbins. This diminutive "stock model" two-manual tracker of seven stops, restored by Bradford Organ Company with volunteer assistance from members of the Chicago-Midwest Chapter of the OHS, acquitted itself well under Ruth Tweeten's expert hands. Her fine, sensitive playing and creative registration showed what can be accomplished on an organ with only seven ranks. There were many such organs that served small churches well, and this one continues to do so under the watchful and enthusiastic care of this caring congregation. Prior to the program, Susan Friesen presented an OHS Historic Organ citation to the parish's articulate and appreciative rector.

Brian Harlow, recently named assistant organist at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, New York, and who had served prior to that appointment as interim director of music, organist and choirmaster at his Alma Mater, the Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts, played an outstanding recital on the well balanced Skinner (Opus 616) of 1927 in the First Congregatonal Church, Evanston. His program: Variations de Concert (op. 1, 1908), Bonnet; "Muzette" from Six pièces (op. 70, 1891), Bossi; Berceuse, op. 16, Fauré (trans. Commette); the hymn "The church's one foundation" sung to the tune Aurelia; and "Finale" from Sonata I by Harwood. Harlow is obviously one of the rising young stars on the organ scene and played magnificently on this beautiful and dignified Skinner that benefits also from being in a particularly good room. Once again, here is an artist who also knows how to play and lead a hymn--his subtle phrasings helped give life to the singing. As a virtuoso, his "horsepower" was well demonstrated in the infamous pedal cadenza near the end of the Bonnet Variations; it was done with both vigor and ease.

After a "dinner on your own" time to sample the various culinary delights in Evanston, we went to St. Luke's Episcopal Church for the feature event of the evening, a thrilling performance by Thomas Murray on the magnificently restored Skinner, Opus 327 of 1922. Details of the phases of its restoration by the A. Thompson-Allen Company of New Haven have been published elsewhere recently, but suffice it to say that here is what one might perceive as a "freshly-minted" (albeit eighty-year-old) E.M. Skinner. Everything seems just right, and the tuning, in spite of the continuing heat and thanks to the fact that Nick Thompson-Allen had been on site for several days, was tight and secure. The instrument, always a landmark in Skinner's output, is truly a monument. After some introductory welcoming remarks by Richard Webster, organist and choirmaster of St. Luke's, Murray played the following program: Fugue in g (K. 401), Mozart; Six Trios (op. 47, 1900), Reger; Two Preludes on Welsh Folk Tunes (1956), Romanza: The White Rock and Toccata: St. David's Day, Vaughan Williams; Sonata I (1904), Borowski; the hymn "Blessed be the God of Israel" sung to the tune Thornberry; followed by Vocalise, Rachmaninoff (trans. Potts); and Sonata Eroïca (op. 94, 1930), Jongen. The event was a perfect match of organ, program and artist. Murray justly received a tumultuous standing ovation.

Monday

The final day of the convention began with a short recital by former OHS President Kristin Gronning Farmer on a three-manual tubular-pneumatic Lyon and Healy, Opus 29 of 1898 in Lake View Presbyterian Church, Chicago. The organ has had some restorative repairs by the Bradford Organ Company and sounds quite good in this modernized and sympathetic room. The program began with the singing of the hymn "Not here for high and holy things" to the tune Morning Song, followed by Chaconne in e, Buxtehude; Herzlich tut mich verlangen, Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern and Mach hoch die Tür, die tor macht weit from Zehn Choralvorspiele (op. 77) by Georg Schumann; "Une femme pieuse essuie la face de Jésus" from Le chemin de la croix, Dupré; and concluded with Concerto in D, FXII/15 ("The Guitar Concerto"), Vivaldi. In spite of a few mechanical problems and with the assistance of her husband, John Farmer, Ms. Farmer played in her usual forthright and musical way and featured the considerably fine colors of this straight, modest-sized instrument.

Next, the large two-manual Johnson & Son tracker, Opus 690 of 1888, in Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church was played with verve and understanding by Christine Marshall Kraemer, the church's organist and choir director. The instrument was restored by the Bradford Organ Company in 1987 and received an OHS Historic Organ plaque to commemorate its centennial in 1988. This is one of only two Johnson organs remaining in Chicago of the many that firm installed in this city (see the articles, "Chicago, A Johnson Town" written for The Tracker, Vol. 10, No. 2 and No. 3, 1966 by the late F.R. Webber). Ms. Kraemer's program follows: Voluntary in D, Boyce; "Andante religioso" from Mendelsssohn's Sonata IV (op. 65, no. 4); Noël sur les flûtes, d'Aquin; O wie selig seid ihr doch, ihr Frommen and O Gott, du frommer Gott from Elf Choralvorspiele, Brahms; "Adagio" from Fantaisie in C, Franck; and the chorale prelude Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme by Walther prior to the singing of the hymn, "Sleepers, wake! A voice astounds us" to the Wachet auf tune. Under Ms. Kraemer's expert control, the Johnson sounded quite typical and acquitted itself well in the somewhat dead room. We often need to be reminded that many fine nineteenth-century American organs were designed, voiced and installed in less than what we might consider favorable acoustical surroundings, yet they often sounded both grand and colorful--a tribute to the art of those builders of the past. This instrument served as just such a reminder.

The last event of the morning was a short but delightful recital played by Elizabeth Naegele on a fine and firm-sounding tubular-pneumatic Austin, Opus 172 of 1906 in St. Paul Community Church (originally St. Paul Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church), Chicago. The instrument, situated in a front corner of the room and angled toward the center of the congregation, has had a few tonal rearrangements and revisions, but has the overall fine Austin ensemble except for a two-foot fifteenth which is a bit strong when used with a super coupler. Ms. Naegele, with the help of one of her young and enthusiastic organ students as page turner and stop assistant, gave a rousing and energetic performance of the following program: Overture to Die Meistersinger, Wagner (arr. Karg-Elert, adapt. Morris), followed by the singing of the hymn "Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing" to the tune Azmon; Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele and Herzlich tut mich erfreuen from Elf Choralvorspiele, op. 122, Brahms; "Nicaea," "Ash Grove," "Ajalon" or "Redhead," and "Saint Kevin" from Four Hymn Voluntaries, Leavitt; and Fiat Lux, Dubois. Ms. Naegele's joy in playing brought a palpable uplifting effect to the program.

After yet another box luncheon, this time in the undercroft of the monumental St. Mary of the Angels Roman Catholic Church, Chicago, the group assembled in the upper church where James Hammann played a superlative recital on the highly unified Kimball of 1920 situated grandly in the rear gallery of this magnificent church. Designed to approximate one-sixth the scale of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome it is, as a result, the largest Catholic church in the state of Illinois. Closed for a time, considered unsafe and destined for demolition, the gigantic multi-domed building has been beautifully restored and is a monument to the faith and persistence of the parish and the priests of the Prelature of Opus Dei. Hammann always rises to the occasion in vast enclosures such as this, and brilliantly played the following program: Fantasie in Freiem Stile No. 4 in e (op. 133), Merkel (dedicated to Clarence Eddy); "Adagio molto espressivo" from Sonata No. 2 in g (op. 77), Buck (also dedicated to Clarence Eddy); and Choral varíe sur le theme du Veni Creator (op. 4), Duruflé (programmed in commemoration of the centennial of the composer's birth). The glory of this final piece was the fact that those in attendance were invited to sing the unaccompanied chant (provided in our Hymn Supplement) alternately with the Duruflé variations. Doing so provided a totally different dimension to the work than is felt when it is simply performed in straight concert format. The result was elevating in its effect, thanks to the fact that Gregorian chant is a natural expression in a space such as this with the room helping to act as support for the pitch. Thanks are due to James Hammann for coming up with the idea. It worked spectacularly well. Prior to the recital, Michael Friesen presented an OHS Historic Organ plaque to the appreciative pastor of St. Mary's.

Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Chicago was the locale for the next event, a recital by Timothy Edward Smith on a rare Van Dinter organ of 1909 situated in the rear gallery of this highly decorated and well-maintained air-conditioned church. This latter feature came as a very welcome relief to the conventioneers as well as, I am sure, to the performer who presented a beautifully played recital on an organ with a surprisingly conservatively designed stoplist for its time. The large 37-rank two-manuals boasts not only a Twelfth and Fifteenth on the Great, but also a three-rank Mixture as well as an 8' Trumpet and 4' Clarion, a complete Pedal division (up through a 4' Octave and including a 51⁄3' Quint), and a large Swell division containing a variety of eight and four-foot colors as well as a Dolce Cornet. The original tracker action has been electrified and a new console supplied. The OHS had visited another and somewhat smaller yet equally bold and colorful Van Dinter organ played by Rosalind Mohnsen during the Kentuckiana convention. (See the Organ Handbook 1993, pp. 78-81.) Timothy Smith received a justly deserved standing ovation for his fine musical and vigorous playing of the following program: Solemn Melody, Davies; Ciacona in c, Buxtehude; Canzona on Liebster Jesu, Purvis; Funeral March of the Marionette, Gounod (trans. Smith); "Fantasia et Fuga" from Sonata Cromatica, Yon; followed by the hymn "Praise to God, immortal praise" sung to the tune Dix. Smith has performed frequently at OHS conventions and always with wonderful results. Hear him if you can, either in a "live" recital or on CD.

The final recital of the afternoon was presented by Sally Cherrington Beggs on a relocated large two-manual Hutchings, Opus 269, of 1892 located in St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Chicago. Originally installed in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, it was rescued through the Organ Clearing House, relocated and reconstructed with some additions for St. Joseph's by the Bradford Organ Company. Ms. Beggs gave a lively and enjoyable performance of the following program: the hymn "Come now, and praise the humble saint" sung to the tune Land of Rest; Fantasie über Ein Feste Burg (op. 13), Paine; "Rondo Ostinato," "Sarabande" and "Rhythmic Trumpet," all from Baroques, Bingham; Sweet Sixteenths--A Concert Rag for Organ, Albright; and On an Ancient Alleluia, Bitgood. The organ, though considerably altered, still has the Hutchings "heft" and color.

For the final event of the convention, the group assembled in the vast First Baptist Congregational Church in the Union Park section of Chicago to hear Peter Sykes, a perennial favorite, in a major recital on the church's large four-manual, totally enclosed seventy-seven rank Kimball, Opus 6949 of 1927. The organ, with a case from the church's previous 1871 three-manual Hook and Hastings, is receiving some ongoing restoration work by the Bradford Organ Company. Its central location in a front gallery and surrounded by a variety of additional instruments, both acoustic and electronic, is ideal for projection into the entire large church, and Sykes took advantage of this feature in the following program: Sonata III, Hindemith; Rhapsody (op. 17, no. 1, 1915), "Moderato tranquillo," Howells; Sonata No. 2 in d (1914), Prokofiev (trans. Sykes); the hymn "Come all you thirsty" sung to a tune composed by Peter Sykes; Scherzo-Fantasia (1960), McKinley; Clair de lune (op. 53, no. 5), Vierne; and Suite, Duruflé. While coping with what appeared to be a problem with balky swell shades, Sykes' virtuoso playing and demanding program obviously delighted the audience which rose to its collective feet in appreciation. As part of the event, Michael Friesen awarded an OHS Historic Organ plaque to the organist and pastor of the church. During the intermission, OHS Vice President Scot Huntington eloquently ex-pressed appreciation to the convention committee and to its chairman, Stephen Schnurr, for the years of work that went into the planning and ultimate realization of a very successful convention. Huntington noted that, since Schnurr is a native of Kentucky, he might enjoy (and certainly deserved) a gift of premier Kentucky sipping whiskey as tangible evidence of the Society's gratitude for a job exceptionally well done. One hopes that Schnurr will enjoy this as much as he will roaming the dunes of northern Indiana (see the note at the end of the report of his recital in Michigan City on June 28).

Each OHS convention has its own personality, and all are enjoyable, both from the standpoint of hearing a variety of noteworthy instruments well-played and renewing acquaintances with those who share one's interest in the OHS and its aims. The 2003 convention will be in south central Pennsylvania June 19-25, with headquarters in Harrisburg. Buffalo, New York, will be the site for the 2004 convention slated to run from June 14-24. Plan to attend a future OHS convention--you will not be disappointed. Both fun and enlightenment will be in store!

(Because of travel delays, the reviewer was unable to hear the opening event of the convention. The comments are distilled from those furnished by OHS members who were in attendance.)

Boston, Massachusetts

Wednesday, August 16

Imagine this. A church packed to the rafters with organists
from around the country, parishioners, and Boston organ lovers. An organ in a
stunning case fills the west gallery of the church. The chairs that fill the
nave have all been turned around so the audience can sit and gaze up into the
balcony. A priest steps forward to the railing and says simply, "Good
evening. I'm Fr. Thomas Carroll, rector of this church," followed by what
can only be described as tumultuous applause, shouting, and a standing ovation!
Do this on a regular basis, and seminaries will be overflowing with candidates
for the priesthood--but of course there is a special tale to tell about this
visceral reaction, and Fr. Tom Carroll, organist and OHS member, is the
deserving symbol of a happy ending to an almost sad story. It was in 1986 that
organists and OHS members learned from the organ journals, and later from
mainstream media, that this struggling parish was preparing to make serious
changes to its church. The interior of the building would be sufficiently
reduced in size (to make way for rentable office space) that its landmark
instrument would be rendered unusable. The nave would be vastly forshortened,
leaving a small "worship center." The great space would nevermore be
seen--the great organ would never sound into its intended space again. The OHS,
and later, architectural conservation and preservation groups in the city,
managed to convince the church to reverse its plans. Three ultimately removable
office structures were indeed built in the side aisles of the west end of the
nave, but the word is that plans are afoot to remove them soon. What is left is
by no means shabby. It's a glorious place. In other good news, this parish is
now growing and thriving, with many new members to enjoy the beautiful
architectural and musical treasures left to it by earlier generations.

In part, the OHS exists to honor, protect, and present great
instruments, so perhaps it is at the Church of the Im-maculate Conception that
we see this function at its best. It is therefore fitting that the convention
began and ended with concerts on E. & G.G. Hook Opus 322 (1863) / E. &
G.G. Hook & Hastings Opus 1959 (1902), played by two great musicians who
have supported the work of the Society and been heard in many conventions over
the years. Peter Sykes began the week, which ended with Thomas Murray.

When the pandemonium settled, Fr. Carroll offered a warm
welcome, after which Jonathan Ambrosino, president of the Society (and also
editor of this year's Organ Handbook and Convention Program), officially opened
the convention and introduced Scot Huntington, this year's convention chairman.
Peter Sykes then assumed the bench, accompanied by his registrants, Michael
Murray on the right and Stuart Forster on the left.

A lovely feature of OHS convention recitals/organ
demonstrations is the inclusion of a hymn in every program. It makes perfect
sense to hear instruments doing one of the jobs for which they were designed.
Sykes's chosen tune was Helmsley to the Advent text "Lo, He comes with
clouds descending"--what a fabulous big, rich, unison sound we made in a
splendid acoustic, to a rich, varied, and totally supportive accompaniment.

The first work on the program was Mendelssohn, Prelude and
Fugue in C Minor, op. 37, no. 1. The combination of Peter Sykes, Felix
Mendelssohn, the great Hook and Hook & Hastings, and the acoustic of
"The Immaculate," conspired for a most satisfying experience. From
Annés de Pélerinage of Liszt, we heard two Sykes transcriptions,
Ave Maria von Arcadelt (which demonstrated some of the lovely sounds of this
instrument), and Sposalizio (betrothal), based on a painting of Raphael. Next,
Six Fugues on B-A-C-H, by Robert Schumann. Played together, these works become
something of a satisfying larger sonata. After intermission, Grand
Prélude (from a set of eleven dedicated to Franck) by Charles-Valentin
Alkan, and Franck's Grande Pièce Symphonique (dedicated to Charles
Alkan). Peter Sykes played this spacious and wonderful work with both breadth
and fire.

Thursday, August 17

A marathon day

The day began with a lecture, "Time, Taste, and the
Organ Case," tailored here by Matthew Bellocchio to include some of the
famous Boston organs heard at the convention.

Then on to the bus at about 10:15 to thread our way through
New York-style traffic to Most Holy Redeemer Church, East Boston. Well worth
it! Occasionally at OHS conventions, the program book says "Program to be
announced." This is never the result of indecision, disorganization, or
laziness. It's a signal that at any given moment, up to and including the first
notes of the recital, there is doubt about what will and what will not play on
the organ! In pretty bad shape, this instrument is, nonetheless, worth the
pilgrimage. Not only is it the largest remaining instrument by William Simmons
(1823-1876), but it is also the "oldest extant two-manual organ with a
detached, reversed console," quoting from the Organ Handbook. Kevin Birch
teaches at the University of Maine School of Performing Arts in Orono, and is director
of music at St. John Roman Catholic Church in Bangor, where he has developed an
important musical program, including the preservation of the church's 1860 E.
& G.G. Hook organ. For the convention, he developed a completely satisfying
program which demonstrated the capabilities of the instrument in its present
condition. The instrument is so dusty and dirty that it has not been possible
to tune it completely for a long time, so avoidance of upperwork was the order
of the day. There was lots of foundation tone, and excellent stuff it is, too.
He began with a fine performance of the Bach Pastorale, the perfect piece for
the circumstances, showing a few small but distinguished combinations of
sounds. All of the combinations were announced before he began the work. Next,
three beautiful organ pieces by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Arietta, Elegy, and
Melody, all from 1898. Birch found the perfect solution to the problems of the
organ's state of health by calling on a 'cellist friend, Jonathan Cortolano, to
play the melody lines, requiring that the meager functioning voices of the
organ play only accompaniment for the most part. With a really beautiful 'cello
tone, this enterprise was a great success. 

Birch had promised to demonstrate some of the notes of the
Oboe that were working, and did so charmingly with a bit of Jesu Bambino by
Pietro Yon. After this, an early 18th-century tune (Sweet Sacrament) found in
Worship III to the text "Jesus, my Lord, my God, my All." We had a
great sing, and took full advantage of a very nice harmonization. This is the
organ upon which, in 1975, Thomas Murray recorded the Mendelssohn sonatas,
recently reissued on CD. It is only through many volunteer hours by Richard
Lahaise that we were able to hear any of this marvellous but sadly neglected
instrument.

Next, on to Most Precious Blood Roman Catholic Church in
Hyde Park, to hear Stephen Roberts on the 1892 Carlton Michell instrument, much
of which was probably built by Hunter in London, and which was originally in
St. Stephen's Church in the South End of Boston. Originally tubular pneumatic,
it was electrified by Richard Lahaise when moved to Precious Blood in 1956 and
fitted with a new console. Franz Schmidt, Toccata for Organ (1924); the hymn
Ave Verum Corpus to a 14th-century plainsong tune; Everett Titcomb, Communion
Meditation on "Ave Verum Corpus." It was helpful to have sung the
entire plainsong melody before hearing Titcomb's work based upon it. The
program ended with the brilliant and brilliantly-played Allegro Vivace from the
Widor 5th Symphony.

Then, on to Christ Church Unity (Sears Chapel) in Brookline
for a fine recital by Andrew Scanlon, winner of the 1999 Boston Chapter AGO
Competition for Young Organists, and a student of Ann Labounsky at Duquesne. He
also has studied with John Walker, John Skelton, and David Craighead. Currently
organist and choir director at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Export,
Pennsylvania, he was one of the six young organists chosen to play at the New
York National in 1996. This Sears Chapel has a rather handsome exterior and a
somewhat disappointing interior. The organ is chambered in the west gallery,
with an attractive facade with stenciled pipes, but is a smallish gem (nineteen
stops) being asked to speak down a rather long carpeted nave filled with
thickly cushioned pews. It is all a bit distant, sadly, but the instrument, E.
& G.G. Hook from 1862, is intact and well cared for, and was presented on
this occasion with the handsome OHS plaque. Bach, Prelude and Fugue in C Major
(545); Mendelssohn, Second Sonata: Grave and Adagio; Trumpet Dialogue from the
Couperin Convent Mass; Allein Gott by Dudley Buck; a Rondeau and Deo Gracias by
Joseph Wilcox Jenkins (b. 1928), lovely, modal, spirited stuff, perhaps
somewhat in the Hindemith mode.

The afternoon ended with two rather amazing events. At the
United Parish in Brookline we were all impressed by Peter Krasinski and
Aeolian-Skinner opus 885 and much more. First, we were welcomed in a recording
by Ernest Skinner himself, apparently from a welcoming speech he made to an AGO
gathering at some point very late in his life. It was loud and clear, and a
stunning opening, with no warning whatsoever! But there was more. After singing
"O God our help" from the hymnal in the pews, there was a program of
two works--not your usual organ recital. First, Peter and the Wolf, transcribed
by Peter Krasinski, narrated by a woman from the church's Board of Deacons who
had earlier graciously received an OHS Plaque for the organ. This was clearly a
new translation from the Russian, beginning more-or-less thusly: "Peter
lifted the heavy rolltop, and threw the switch, activating the great Spencer
blower." And then we had Peter being hustled inside, to escape the evil
Clarinet. And then, with Peter, we cowered in the face of "Evil hunters,
seeking unaltered Skinner organs!" It was all so perfectly done--the
narration was really dramatically delivered, and Peter Krasinski--what to say?
The transcription, the performance, the organ--it was nothing less than
fabulous--requiring a chapter of its own in any history ever written about OHS
Conventions We Have Known. For a bit more icing on an already rich cake, Peter
Krasinski's own transcription of von Suppé's Poet and Peasant Overture.

At the end of the afternoon, the astonishing, amazing--whatever--computer-driven
Boston University Symphonic Organ, hosted by its creator, Nelson Barden. The
whole thing had its genesis in a small Skinner (opus 764) instrument in a
Rockefeller mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut. When the organ was disposed of,
it was to become one of the organic wonders of the world. Further donations of
house and other organs kept the thing growing to its present size, and it now
lives in its permanent home on a great balcony overlooking a large kind of
banqueting hall. On screen, one can see what the computer operator sees on his
monitor up in the balcony: the four keyboards plus a short one for the
pedalboard laid out, surrounded by lists of all the stops available--colored
lights indicate which keys and which stops are playing. We heard a performance,
electronically recorded, of Carlo Curley playing Fiddle Faddle, Edwin Lemare
playing the Bach "Jig" Fugue, and lots of other goodies. An exciting
aspect of this is the ability to reproduce here the many performances committed
to paper rolls in Germany in the 20s and 30s, at a time when sound recording
was not yet totally viable on location, and, of course, the immense resources
of this instrument make possible just about any registrational requirement.
After the great show, most of our large party took advantage of being able to
walk right through this marvel, to see, under glass, the whole thing operating.

After dinner, off to The Mission Church to hear Julian
Wachner on Hutchings Opus 410 of 1897, sounding out of its great west gallery
case into a superb acoustical space. Bach, Pièce d'Orgue; Mendelssohn,
Prelude and Fugue in C Minor; Cantabile from Widor 6th, played on a gorgeous
Oboe; Duruflé Prelude and Fugue on ALAIN. After intermission, we were
driven hastily back to our seats by a fabulous improvised fanfare, using the
splendid, if un-Englishy, Tuba; then the Boston premiere of Les Trés
Riches Heures (An Organ Book of Hours) by Marjorie Merryman--the six movements
are entitled 1. Procession, 2. Dialogues, 3. Cycle of the Year, 4. Rebellion,
5. De Profundis, and 6. Celebrations. The evening ended with "Holy Holy
Holy" to, of course, Nicaea. After the hymn Wachner went into a pretty
wild improvisation on Nicaea.

Friday, August 18

Promenade day

Friday began with a lecture by Barbara Owen on "The
Hook Years," not an overstatement when you realize what an enormous number
of instruments that workshop turned out each year in the mid-1800s. Then the
convention traveled to Hook Country, Jamaica Plain, and the lovely yellow home
of Elias Hook. We were split into three groups at this time, so that no church
was overly crowded--this meaning, of course, that each performer had to play
three times. My group began not with a Hook, but with Central Congregational
Church's Aeolian-Skinner opus 946 of 1936, a versatile and effective 14-stop
instrument. It can do anything asked of it and today, it met just the right
player to direct it. Possibly, this organ should not really function as it
does--after all, it is stuffed into a chamber on the north side of the
chancel--but the room is welcoming, and aided by 5≤ of wind pressure and
scaling and voicing to match, it reaches every corner of the room. This should
not suggest to anyone that it is loud--it simply projects very well in all directions.
The organ is entirely enclosed in one swell box. The program by Mark Dwyer: the
chorale Freu dich sehr; Pachelbel, Partitia on "Freu dich sehr";
Sowerby, Arioso; Bach, Trio on "Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend";
Darke, Fantasy, op. 39; Dupré, Placare Christe servulis. The splendid
playing of Mark Dwyer is no surprise to those who have heard him play. This
organ, on the other hand, was a total surprise: fourteen stops, and look at the
program it played, and all beautifully and essentially authentically!

We walked through pleasant streets with lovely Victorian
houses all around, to First Baptist Church, with its essentially unaltered 1859
Hook, for a concert by Lois Regestein: Hanff, Wär' Gott nicht mit uns
diese Zeit, using a registration which Hook had set as the plenum, just through
2' on the Great, without the mixture; Pinkham, Pastorale on "The Morning
Star"; three Haydn Musical Clock pieces, Minuet, March, and Andantino,
revealing the absolutely beautiful flutes on this organ; Respighi, Prelude on a
chorale of Bach; Ciampa, Agnus Dei (with singer Dianna Daly); Telemann, Trumpet
Tune in D; Brahms, Prelude in G Minor; and a rousing performance of the hymn
"Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven."

Another pleasant walk led to First Parish, Unitarian, for a
program by Gregory Crowell, director of music at Trinity UMC in Grand Rapids
and on the faculty at Grand Valley State University. The organ is E. & G.G.
Hook Opus 171 of 1854. In 1860 Hook added the Choir organ, which was apparently
prepared for in 1854. The program began with the hymn "Spirit of God,
descend upon my heart" to the tune Morecambe, and included the Mendelssohn
Fourth Sonata.

The last venue in Jamaica Plain was St. Thomas Aquinas
Church. Scot Huntington managed to give lots of his time to trying to get this
glorious 1854 Hook (moved to this church in 1898 and somewhat rebuilt by George
Hutchings) playing--it had not been heard in 20 years! This is a major part of
the OHS Convention History--the hours or weeks of time freely given by OHS member
builders to making ill instruments well enough to be heard at conventions. The
organ was permitted to remain there (west gallery) only because it looked so
nice. (It is indeed an unusually attractive case.) The new pastor welcomed the
OHS in a really fine speech that made it clear where his sympathies lie, and he
was roundly cheered. No doubt with his encouragement many parishioners were in
attendance, some of whom had ventured into the balcony for the first time to
see what the organ really looked like. Scot Huntington demonstrated the organ,
an-nouncing registrations as he went along, and even doing a creditable
performance of the "St. Anne Prelude." He then accompanied the hymn
"O worship the King" (Hanover), and many of the attending
parishioners were overwhelmed. The building is not without resonance, and to
hear 400+ musicians filling that room was impressive.

George Bozeman is always a major presence at OHS
conventions, this sometimes taking the form of an organ he has carefully
restored, but most often in the form of an interesting and somewhat unusual
recital. Here, he fulfilled both roles, playing on an 1860 E. & G.G. Hook
(Opus 283) of 32 stops (rebuilt in 1913), which in 1992 had "tonal
re-instatements and recreations; refurbishment and restoration" at the
hands of George Bozeman--at First Congregational Church in Woburn. The program:
Bach, Prelude & Fugue in G Minor (535); C.P.E. Bach, Sonata in A; the hymn,
"Eternal Spirit of the living Christ," to a strong, unnamed, tune by F.
William Voetberg; Franck, Choral in B Minor; four exquisitely registered and
played chorale preludes of Brahms: Herzlich tut mich erfreuen, Schmücke
dich, O wie selig, and Herzlich tut mich verlangen; three selections from the
Bartok Mikrokosmos; and finally Concert Sonata No. 5 in C by Eugene Thayer.

An OHS Boston Weekend

After a fairly energetic and busy Friday, the prospect of a
somewhat more relaxed convention weekend seemed a good one. Saturday began with
Jonathan Ambrosino's lecture entitled "Ernest M. Skinner & G. Donald
Harrison, Retrospective and Review." Ambrosino is president of the
Society, bringing a distinguished background in both communications and
organbuilding, and he is making his strengths very much felt throughout the
organization.

The first concert of the day was by Richard Hill at First
Parish in Arlington, one of the truly great recitals of the convention, on one
of its very best organs--an 1870 Hook (Opus 529) of fifteen stops, moved into
First Parish's fine modern building from a church in Philadelphia. The program
began with a hymn that rather set the tone for the rest of the program,
"Stand up, stand up for Jesus," to the tune Webb. The organ is tucked
in a corner in the front of the church, and has facades on two sides, and the
whole thing resonates like one big soundboard--it really is rich and full, and
beautiful besides. The Triumphal March of Dudley Buck is the kind of spirited
stuff that can really be effective in the hands of a strong and sure player
with spirit to match--really good fun. Then, by Amy Beach, a lovely work,
Prelude on an Old Folk Tune, very Irish sounding. The next piece was the kind
of thing that would keep a congregation around for the postlude, Toccatina by
George E. Whiting (1840-1923). The beginning was a bit reminiscent of the
Lemmens Fanfare. Next, David the King, based on a theme of William Billings, by
Gardner Read--a lament on the death of Absalom. Finally, the grand finale,
Allegro comodo, from Suite in D by Arthur Foote. This work might have suffered
from a lesser performance, but there was nothing lesser about what we heard--a
great ending, to much applause and a quick stand up!

On to Follen Community Church, the oldest church in
Lexington, boasting as one of its ministers Ralph Waldo Emerson. What a
beautiful place and beautiful instrument, both to see and to hear. E. &
G.G. Hook Opus 466 of 1869 was originally in a church in Stoneham, but was
given as a gift and moved to Follen Church in 1995. Erik Suter, with degrees
from both Oberlin and Yale, is now assistant organist and choirmaster at
Washington National Cathedral. The program: Pinkham, "Festive March"
from Music for a Quiet Sunday, which was commissioned by the church to
celebrate the instrument; Mendelssohn, Third Sonata: Sweelinck, Variations on Balletto
del granduca, for which organbuilder John Bishop operated the hand pump, which
really did make a noticeable difference--the wind was rather gentle and supple.
The program ended quietly with the Paul Manz Aria, which featured the Melodia
stop, living up to its name, and toward the end of the piece, an octave up,
where it was ravishing. The final hymn: "Come down, O Love Divine"
(Down Ampney). Suter launched into a quite cathedral-like improvisation on Down
Ampney which sent everyone out very cheerfully indeed.

Sometimes food claims a place on the list of OHS convention
memories. On this Saturday evening, we had an example of this, and what an
example! At 5:30 in the beautiful evening light we boarded a large and very
fast boat for Thompson Island, the history of which is complex and off topic
here, other than to say it is a quite large, hilly, and scenic place from
which, in the right spot, one neither sees nor senses the presence of the big
city so near. I have been to one clambake in my life, a small, private affair,
memorable for wonderful seafood and for good company. This was that experience
writ large; there was no end to the wonderful food. There were various salad
things, baked beans, a wonderful piece of steak, a large pile of steamed clams
and an enormous lobster on a separate plate. We were seated in a great tent,
with some outside places for those who enjoy mosquitos. At the end
style="mso-spacerun: yes">  we hiked down to the dock through the
cool darkness, and after a bit of a wait, our boat appeared to take us back to
the mainland, giving a gorgeous moonlit ride back to Boston Harbor.

On Sunday morning the Annual Meeting of the Society was
scheduled for 8:30. There were reports from all the committees carrying on the
work of the Society, including the Historic Organs Citation Committee, the
superb OHS Archives in a new home in Princeton, the Biggs Fellowship Committee,
the Convention Committee, the Publications Committee, and so much more. At this
convention about a half-dozen plaques were presented to churches that have
recognized the historic significance and musical importance of their
instruments and have continued to maintain them properly. This recognition,
plus the very presence of several hundred musicians in their church coming to
hear the instrument, sends a strong message of support and encouragement. The
Biggs Fellowship is a great program, and its ability to assist interested
people in attending a convention when they might not otherwise be able to do
so, has been greatly enhanced by a major gift from the estate of Peggy Biggs,
the wife of E. Power, who died recently. This year the convention was enriched
by the presence of four Biggs Fellows: Daniel W. Hopkins of Lockeport, Nova
Scotia; Ted Kiefer of Franklinville, New Jersey; Tony Kupina of
Montréal, Québec; and Daniel B. Sanez of Hollywood, California. A
visit to the OHS Archives in Princeton finds one in a place where one could
happily stay for days on end, exploring the amazing riches, holdings unequaled
by any other resource anywhere in the world. Many have studied there helped by
one of the research grants available through OHS. The Archives were bursting at
the seams in the old space in the Westminster Choir College Library, and
through gifts from business and arts organizations and individuals, the sum of
$85,000 was collected to make possible the move to new and spacious quarters.
Confident in the knowledge that OHS is important to all its members, important
enough that they are willing to help the organization financially over and
above the membership fees, a new fund has been established and announced at
this year's annual meeting. This endowment fund will help stabilize the
finances of the organization and enable it to expand its work in a number of
areas where money has been a bit tight. The goal is a half-million dollars, and
amazingly, a small group of officers and close friends of the Society has
already pledged the sum of $58,000. I hope anyone reading this who is not a
member of OHS will consider now joining. Try: . By
the way, next summer's convention will be in Winston-Salem, North Carolina,
June 21-28.

On this Sunday afternoon, there were some opportunities to
visit Cambridge organs and also the astonishing beauties of Mount Auburn
Cemetery, which for American organists and organbuilders, might be a rough
equivalent to an Englishman visiting Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey. Some
recitals were played in Cambridge, and some churches held special musical
events for conventioneers. I chose to stay close to the hotel before the great
evening event, a concert about which I almost fear to write, so controversial
was it. Catching all the buzz on the walk back to the hotel and in the exhibit
room later, there seemed to be no agreement whatsoever about the instrument,
the player, her registrations, the music she chose--even what she wore! That
Cherry Rhodes is the consummate concert artist cannot be in dispute. Nor can
one deny the historicity and significance of the enormous 1952 Aeolian-Sinner
organ, much upgraded and changed both mechanically and tonally over the years,
but still bearing the stamp of the makers, working under consultant Larry
Phelps. Beyond that, I heard those things that I thought I rather liked being
roundly condemned by some, and those things that I thought I did not like being
roundly praised by others. If nothing else, the organ is a great amusement.
There is much to gaze upon, with all manner of pipes mounted in all kinds of
arrangements. There is nothing to suggest the historic structure of The Pipe
Organ, perhaps even less so than in some of the exposed organs of Walter
style="mso-spacerun: yes">  Holtkamp, Sr. Looking at those, one
usually knew what was where. Not so here in the First Church of Christ,
Scientist, known familiarly as The Mother Church. The great heaps of pipework
are not identifiable without some sort of guidance. The exposed pipework speaks
into an enormous space, seating about eight thousand people, and amazingly, it
projects fairly well, coming to the listener's ear, I think, with the aid of
the various domed shapes in the building. It is capable of gentleness and also
of bombast, all sounding to my ears just a bit on the thin side, and looking at
the pipework, one does have the impression of thin. I am sure I will pay for
this in some way, but I have to say that at the end of the first piece, a large
plenum with tons of mixture ranks in play caused me to say that I thought it
all sounded incredibly electronic.

The program (12 pieces, only two of which I had ever heard)
began with a piece that made use of the spacious layout of the organ, a work by
Frank Ticheli (b. 1958) dedicated in its organ arrangement to Cherry Rhodes.
Pacific Fanfare (1999) began very softly and finally did build up to live up to
its name, exploring the many reeds of various volumes on this instrument. This
was followed by the Sweelinck Bergamasca, using what is called the Continuo
division of the organ; Deuxième Légende of Bonnet, a beautiful
work; from the Vierne Pièces de Fantaisie, "Impromptu";
Méditation by Gabriel Dupont (1878-1914, an organ student of Widor);
Sportive Fauns, by the Yugoslav composer, Deszö d'Antalffy-Zsiross
(1885-1945), who studied with, among others, Max Reger. After intermission, the
obligatory hymn, "I love thy way of freedom, Lord" to a Hubert Parry
tune, Heavenward. The accompaniment was unusual, being almost a gentle wash of
sound much in the manner of some English Psalm accompaniments, very much in the
background. Then Four Pieces for the Mass by José Lidón; Clarence
Mader's "The Afternoon of a Toad"; and Variations on "Victimae
Paschali," by Jiri Ropek (b. 1922 in Prague).

Whatever misgivings people might have had about the concert,
at the end of the Ropek there was a spontaneous and essentially unanimous
standing ovation, and it kept going long enough that it was clear an encore was
needed, the lovely and quiet Salve Festa Dies by Marius Walter. Hailing the
festival day was a very gentle affair, but beautiful. And thus ended Sunday and
the weekend.

Monday, August 21

The recitals this day were part of an elective involving visits
to instruments in the Newton area. The alternative was the Mount Auburn
Cemetery, also available the previous day. A third choice was to do nothing and
ride a bus later to a concert at The Korean Church in Cambridge.

First stop: Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill, Newton,
something of a cookie-cutter Anglican pretend Gothic building, of which there
must be thousands around the country. It boasted pretend Gothic acoustics as
well. Heard from the third row on the south side, the Noack organ was overpowering.
I suspect that this chancel installation caused the builder to push the
instrument so it could lead those in the back row of the church. Gretchen
Longwell gave a program that one might play on a North German-oriented
mechanical-action organ in a good room in an academic environment. The audience
was made up almost completely of organists, but the recital missed one of the
features of OHS programming--showing a variety of things the organ can do. Many
thought that we could have heard some Vierne, Mendelssohn, or anything else
that might show the Romantic possibilities which probably exist in this
instrument. The program: Buxtehude, Praeludium in G Minor; Boehm, Wer nur den
lieben Gott lasst walten; the hymn 
"If thou but trust in God to guide you"; two Schübler
chorales: Meine Seele and Ach bleib bei uns, both really well played; and the
Ernst/Bach, Concerto in G.

The next recital featured a new instrument built by George
Bozeman at Eliot Church (Congregational) in Newton Corner, Newton. The instrument
has rather active or flexible wind, a bit more so than wanted, as there was
clearly no room for the main reservoir right with the instrument--it is in the
next room--and even fitted with concussion bellows, things occasionally get a
bit bouncy. But the overall effect is very good. There is an amazing wooden 16'
Pedal Trombone, tremendously round and full in sound, not loud, and perhaps a
bit slow of speech, but really fun when it opens out. The recitalist was
Kimberly Ann Hess, director of chapel music and college organist at Stonehill
College in Easton, Massachusetts. The program: de Grigny, Veni Creator, played
with glorious ornamentation and clarity on a very sympathetic organ in
Kirnberger I; Schumann, Four Sketches from Opus 58; Bach, Toccata in F (BWV
540), including the most expressive playing of that long Pedal solo I have ever
heard; and the hymn "We are your people" to Sine Nomine.

Brian Jones has been featured at OHS conventions seemingly
forever. To be sure, his playing is always wonderful, but he gives more,
steeped as he is in the history of the instrument, the OHS, and New England
itself. Léfebure-Wély, Boléro de Concert; Concerto in D by
Charles Avison (1817-1953); Jongen, Scherzetto, op. 108, no. 1. The next and
final work on the program was dedicated to Alan Laufman, director of the Organ
Clearing House, who, as a young man, first turned pages for Jones for the same
piece quite a few years back at an OHS Convention on The Cape. Jones gave a
spirited reading of the Bach Prelude and Fugue in A Minor (BWV 543); and
finally the hymn, "How shall I sing that majesty which angels do
admire," to the tune Coe Fen.

Next on the schedule was Nancy Granert at The Korean Church
(formerly Pilgrim U.C.C.) in Cambridgeport, Cambridge. The 22-stop Hutchings instrument
of 1886 was not very telling in a fully carpeted room, unfortunately, and the
program began with three early works that just did not make sense on the
instrument and in the non-intimate environment: Spanieler Tanz of Johannes Weck
(early 16th century), Mit ganzem Willen wünsch ich ihr of Paumann, and
Kochersperger Spanieler of Hans Kotter; then two Bach settings of Liebster
Jesu, the first on the really warm Open Diapason, and the second using the
Dolce Cornet for the cantus, quiet but pungent. We then sang the chorale, with
a chance to sing harmony in the middle stanza. Then George Chadwick,
Canzonetta; Frank Donahoe, Impromptu. We finally heard the (rather
underwhelming) full organ in the Arthur Foote Prelude in C. Nancy Granert is
now organist at Emmanuel Church (Boston) and Temple Sinai (Brookline), and is
on the faculty at the Boston University School for the Arts. The audience stood
all around the walls, around the altar, and in extra seats in each of the
aisles. The organ did not have a chance, but Granert put in a valiant effort,
and it was clear that she is an excellent player.

We had heard four recitals already, and it was getting on
for 5 pm, but most did not accept the proffered escape bus to the hotel,
instead opting to hear Rosalind Mohnsen at the beautiful St. Catherine of Genoa
Church in Somerville, with its fine 1894 Jardine, and decent acoustic. Mohnsen
shared her program with a wonderful, expressive soprano, Maura Lynch, who added
a great deal of interest to the program. First, three Antiphons from the
Fifteen Pieces of Dupré, "His left hand is under my head,"
"Lo, the Winter is Past," and "How Fair and Pleasant art
Thou"; the hymn "Come Holy Ghost, Creator Blest" sung to a
pleasant minor-key tune from the Pius X Hymnal--written by Theodore Marier;
then Schumann, two of the Fugues on the Name of Bach. Ms. Lynch stepped forward
to the balcony rail and sang "The Flag of Prospect Hill" by J.W.
Bailey. We then sang an interesting cantor and response sort of hymn "Now
Help Us, Lord," with Ms. Lynch serving as cantor. Next, for soprano and
organ, Der Schmetterling ist in die Rose verliebt, op. 14, no. 2 of Henry
Hadley (1871-1937). Last on the program was Henry Dunham's (1853-1929) Fantasia
and Fugue in d, op. 19. Rosalind Mohnsen is director of music at Immaculate
Conception Church in Malden, and this was her 15th OHS convention recital.

Dinner on this evening was a barbeque at the Charlestown
Navy Yard. The food really was delicious, and we were only a short walk from
St. Mary Roman Catholic Church, Charlestown, where Dana Robinson played a
stunning recital. This church was one of a number of very old, large, Catholic
churches that have been recently re-stored. This was a great evening of great
organ music suited to the grand old Woodberry and Harris Organ of 1892 in a
fine acoustic. Parker, Introduction and Fugue in E Minor; a duet version of six
Schumann Studies for Pedal Piano (Opus 56) with Paul Tegels assisting; Franck,
E-Major Chorale; the hymn "Immaculate Mary" to the Lourdes Hymn; Widor,
the complete Symphonie Gothique. Dr. Robinson teaches at the School of Music of
the University of Illinois.

Tuesday, August 22

Tuesday the 22nd began with a lecture by Pamela Fox
concerning the Hook & Hastings factory in Weston, which involves more of
interest than might meet the eye. This was an attempt at a complete
"community of labor," with workers' cottages, a company-built
recreation hall, and other facilities. The move to Weston took place in 1880.

This was it--my first chance to hear the legendary
instrument at Old West Church, and its legendary organist, Yuko Hayashi.
Perhaps the experience of the organ was a bit underwhelming (to me) because we
have all heard so many wonderful instruments in a similar style that have been
built since this pioneer Fisk organ appeared in 1971. Many of these, I think,
surpass Old West in terms of color and clarity, an excellent example of which
we heard at our next stop. The program: Buxtehude, Toccata in D Minor; Bach,
Wenn wir in höchsten Nöthen sein; Clérambault, Suite on the
Second Tone. The Basse de Cromorne was something else, given the monster
Cromorne on this instrument, full of color and character. The Récit de
nasard revealed another monster, the Nasard itself--quite big and colorful in
combination. We did sing a hymn, "Now thank we all our God," in the
strange unison version found at number 396 in the 1982 Hymnal. Had anyone
turned one more page, they would have come to the harmonization
style="mso-spacerun: yes">  by Monk, following Mendelssohn's
symphony version, which would have been infinitely more fun.

Next First Lutheran Church, where Richards, Fowkes &
Company Opus 10 was in the final stages of installation, sufficiently far along
to allow William Porter to improvise his way through many combinations of
sounds. This organ, in its hideous Piero Belluschi building, should be a
fabulous addition to the Boston organ scene.

For the next program, Frederick Jodry V gave a really
interesting performance on a 1938 Wicks instrument in a fine acoustical
environment, Most Holy Name Parish, West Roxbury, the instrument designed and
voiced by Henry Vincent Willis. Wow! Broad foundation tone! Reading through the
very detailed stoplist provided, some features stand out. The Great has no
mixture, going only to the 2' Principal. There are, however, two Open Diapasons
at 8'. The flues are on 95mm of wind, but the Great Trumpet is on 145mm. The
Choir (enclosed--73 note chest) has a French Horn with its own tremolo. It is
on 140mm of wind, while the rest of the division is on 95mm. The Swell has flues
on 100mm, a Vox Humana which automatically engages its own Tremolo, on 105mm,
with the four other reeds on 140mm. The Pedal has a 16' Open Diapason and a 16'
Bourdon. All else is either borrowed or extended from somewhere. There is a
small sanctuary organ, but it is not working, and was not made available for
inspection. The program: Woodman, Little Partita for Easter; Chadwick,
Pastorale, demonstrating a truly wonderful Harmonic Flute;
Léfebure-Wély, March; the hymn "The Strife is O'er" at
an incredibly fast clip. The program finished with a really interesting
Postlude on a Theme of Palestrina by Dudley Buck.

One of the happy-making experiences of this convention has
been seeing quite a few ornate, very old, Roman Catholic churches that have
been newly loved and spruced up with great care and taste. Saint Patrick Church
in Roxbury is not one of these, possibly lacking the enormous amount of money
required for a major fix-up. It does have rather nice stations, set in small
tabernacles, perhaps two or three feet high, and lighted indirectly from above.
The room is disfigured by ugly loudspeakers stuck all over the place. The organ
is an E. & G.G. Hook & Hastings from 1880, rebuilt by Hutchings in
1893, adding a Barker lever to the Great and its couplers. The pipework and
chests are original Hook & Hastings, but the Choir organ was added by
Hutchings. It is visually reminiscent of the Covington Holtkamp that has been
discussed on Piporg-l, with exposed pipework in a pleasing pattern--rather
remarkable for its time.

In this church, Kristin Farmer played one of those
"Program will be announced" events, again of necessity, given the
precarious condition of the organ. Kristin and her organbuilder husband John
Farmer have donated countless hours to getting this organ up and playing for
the convention. After the organ received an OHS Plaque, we heard the following
program: Langlais, Hommage; three Dupré Antiphons; Meditation from
Thaïs; and a Gigue by John Bull. The Langlais really worked on the instrument,
which is quite beautiful doing mystic bits, and also capable of some richness
as the volume rises. There is a strong and independent 16' Open on the Great.
In the Dupré "I am black but comely," the Flute had a
wonderful open sound. The John Bull Gigue was played rather full out, and the
upperwork was irritatingly out of tune, sounding for all the world like a
supercoupler forcing into play pipes that have not been noticed (or tuned) in
years--but there is no supercoupler. At the end, we sang "Glory, love, and
praise," to the pleasant tune "Benifold," by Francis Westbrook
(1903-1975).

It was getting on for tea time, and at First Parish
(Unitarian) in Roxbury the convention split into two groups: one group going to
the recital and the other to what was billed in the book as a
"reception." This meant not high tea, but various cool drinks and
cookies out under the trees in back of the church. The recital of one hour and
ten minutes (surely the longest daytime event of the convention) took place on
a rather anemic instrument in a totally dead acoustic in a quite large
building. (The building is quite beautiful, if greatly run down, but a grant
has apparently been secured and further funds are being sought for its
restoration.) Robert Barney gave another performance of the Brahms Prelude and
Fugue in G Minor, which was effective in the space, followed by another good
choice, the Hindemith Second Sonata. But nothing could overcome the effect of
the hour, the hopelessly dull acoustic and the instrument. There was a certain
amount of merriment when folks realized the hymn to come was "Sleepers
Wake! A voice astounds us." But wait, there was yet more to come. The
Reger Fantasy on Wachet Auf really did not belong in this building, on this
organ, and for that trivial matter, at this time of day. Two people were sound
asleep in my pew. We ran, not walked, to the waiting buses.

The evening venue was Holy Cross Cathedral. Anyone, in New
England at least, who receives mail at all, has probably had a mailing from Leo
Abbott concerning his ongoing effort to restore this most wonderful instrument
in a glorious space. The instrument, Hook & Hastings from 1875, is simply
enormous, with all mod cons of the period, including Barker lever to the Great
and its couplers, pneumatic stop action, eight mixtures, and imported French
reeds from Zimmerman, some with Cavaillé-Coll shallots. It was
electrified around 1929 by Laws. Henri Lahaise and Sons have been working
steadily to keep it going, while doing restoration work as time and funds permit.
Along with lots of AGO members and other members of the Boston musical
community, in addition to lots of parishioners, we were a huge audience to hear
four well-known organists in a program that became even more remarkable than we
were led to expect.

George Bozeman led off with some charming Pepping Chorale
Preludes, ones from the Kleines Orgelbüch. Julian Wachner, who had given a
full evening recital earlier in the week, offered the Bach Dorian Toccata and
Fugue. The Toccata was a bit thick for the registration and building, but the
Fugue was magical, with a hardly noticeable but very real build-up that left
one breathless at the final cadence. Next came Wachner's transcription of El
Salon Mexico of Copland. I guess there are cannon shots in the score, and Leo Abbott
was ready in the balcony with an enormous bass drum, which he struck with
immense authority. At the first blow, the whole audience rose quite visibly
just a bit off its seats. Peter Sykes began the second half with a stunning
performance of the Reger Fantasy and Fugue on BACH. This was our first chance
to hear the organ full out in a major piece of organ literature. It was totally
tremendous, and the audience response was enormous. Leo Abbott assumed his
familiar bench at his familiar reversed horseshoe theater organ console (long
story, but the thing works!), and led the hymn "The Royal Banners Forward
Go" (Agincourt Hymn), with lots of wonderful fanfares and interludes. He
then gave a magnificent improvisation on Salve Regina, which, among other things,
was a great tour through the instrument. After the last chord had died away,
there were whoops and cheers, and an audience completely on its feet. What a
night!

The final great day

Wednesday, August 23

On this last day, it was hard to
refrain from commenting on the weather. With the exception of one evening of
some rain, the days were cool, sunny, and dry. One's impressions of a
convention are somewhat tempered, I think, by whether one has or has not sat in
broiling hot churches with perspiration pouring down. We had essentially none
of that.

This day began with a lecture on
"Organ Pedagogy in Boston 1850-1900," and included a discussion of
the personalities, the publications, and institutions of the period. To attend
a Friday noon recital at Trinity, Copley Square, is to learn that this organ
culture remains very much alive today. It will be you and about 299 others in
attendance! The AGO chapter is one of the largest and most active in the
country.

For the first two concerts of
the day we were split into two groups, so today's performers each played twice.
Our group began at First Baptist Church in Framingham at 11:30 with a totally
satisfying event. The church is the oldest in the area, clearly well-loved and
well kept. Victoria Wagner gave a program of organ works and songs in which she
accompanied soprano Nancy Armstrong. The organ is gentle, the room not resonant
but small and clear. The idea of this combination organ concert and song
recital was just right. The instrument, William Simmons of 1853, 17 stops, is
lovely, but not perhaps compelling enough to carry a full program on its own.
Like the church, it has been well cared for, and was presented with an OHS
plaque before the music began. The program: Handel, Voluntary XI; two Purcell
songs, "We Sing to Him" (Harmonia Sacra) and "Tecum principium
in die virtutis" from Dixit Dominus; the hymn "Rock of Ages" to
"Toplady"; James Woodman's song, Rock of Ages. Next, the premiere of
Peter Sykes's "Arise my love" for organ and soprano, a truly lovely
addition to the repertoire for voice and organ. The perfect finish to this
lovely event was Festival March, by Christian Teilman. Victoria Wagner is
director of music at Trinitarian Congregational Church in Concord, organ
instructor at Regis College in Weston, and on the piano faculty at the Noble
& Greenough School in Dedham.

It was lunch time. If you were
in Group A, you ate at St. Andrew's Church, Wellesley, but Group B, of which I
was a member, ate at Village Congregational, also in Wellesley. There were no
concerts scheduled for these churches--only the use of their facilities for the
meal. Then onward to the Chapel at Wellesley College. The complications of the
keyboard require quite a bit of time and understanding. There are split sharps
and a "short octave," and nothing quite feels like what one is used
to at home. But the whole thing represents the kind of creative adventure,
unique, I think, to the questing and curious mind of Charles Brenton Fisk. I
need to quote a bit of history from the ever-helpful Organ Handbook: "In
1972, Wellesley College signed a contract with C. B. Fisk for a two-manual
organ based on Dutch models, c. 1620. Inaugurated in 1981, this organ and its
design underwent considerable evolution in the decade leading to its fruition.
From the beginning, it was intended that a specialized instrument, built
‘in the spirit of uncompromising authenticity' would allow students a
European experience in America." The Pedal Posaune was added in 1983, as
were carved pipeshades. Additional Pedal stops were added in 1987, and the case
was oiled and gilded in 1992. At the other (east) end is an Aeolian-Skinner
instrument which is, in fact, used for accompanying the choir and congregation
up front.

On the above-described Fisk
instrument, Margaret Irwin-Brandon gave a most elegant recital: Scheidemann,
Fantasia in C; Weckmann, Canzon in G Major; a choral prelude by Franz Tunder,
Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der von uns, served in alternation to our
singing of the chorale in or with various harmonizations. Next, the Buxtehude G
Minor. While there is an electric blower for practice, in normal public
playing, the organ is human-pumped. One person can do it all, although there is
room for two at the pumping apparatus. One must carefully go backwards up a
short staircase, step out over a beam connected to one of the feeder bellows,
and glide down, propelled by one's own weight, on that beam until the bellows
hits bottom. At this point, one goes back up the stairs, and vigilance is
wanted to wait for the last-pumped bellows to rise almost to the top, at which
point one rides down on the other one. It's an exercise that adds a most
graceful visual component to the playing of this instrument. As you look at the
case, to the left, you see the pumper backing up the stairs, and then
ever-so-gracefully riding down quite slowly on the bellows, after which the
work is repeated. A couple of our Biggs Fellows had the honor of raising the
wind.

For various reasons I missed a
recital at St. Mary R.C. Church, Waltham, by Libor Dudas, music director and
organist at the famous Old North Church. The program included the Brahms A
Minor Prelude & Fugue, the Elgar Vesper Voluntaries, and the Franck Finale,
on an 1874 Hook & Hastings instrument, restored by Henri Lahaise and Son
during the 1990s.

The last concert of the
convention took us back to Immaculate Conception where, before an enormous
audience of conventioneers, AGO members, and Boston music lovers, Thomas Murray
gave one final fabulous musical memory. The whole program was a procession of
delights, all played in the elegant Murray manner and wonderfully registered
with great care: Guilmant, Sonata IV in D Minor; Reger, Benedictus; Schumann,
Three Studies for Pedal-Piano; Bonnet, Matin Provençale (No. 2 from Poèmes
d'Automne, 1908); Franck, Fantasy in A Major. We sang a rousing hymn,
"Praise the Lord, ye heavens adore him," to a grand Victorian tune
called "Faben," composed by the first organist of Immaculate
Conception Parish, who served until his death in 1875, John Henry Wilcox. Next,
three more of the Schumann Studies; finally, the Mulet Carillon-Sortie. And
sortie we did, back to the exhibit hall cum bar, for a last social time with
friends from far and near.

What a wonderful convention! I
hope this report might help some readers to consider making plans now to attend
next summer in North Carolina, from June 21st to the 28th.

--Malcolm Wechsler

Mander Organs, USA

The author thanks Mark Nelson,
William Van Pelt, Judy Ollikkala, and Anonymous for corrections and additions
to this article after its original Internet appearance.